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MICHAEL  FREEBERN   GAVIN 


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MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 


A  BIOGRAPHY:  EDITED  BY  HIS  SON 

WITH   AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 
CLARENCE  JOHN  BLAKE,  M.D. 


PRIVATELY  PRINTED  AT  THE  RIVERSIDE  PRESS 
CAMBRIDGE;  MDCCCCXV 


"ft    \<t*\.  GrM 


COPYRIGHT,    1915,   BY  ELLEN  T.   GAVIN 
ALL   RIGHTS  RESERVED 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION  ix 

I.    ANCESTRY  AND   CHILDHOOD  I 

II.    EDUCATION.   MEDICAL  STUDIES  II 

III.  FURTHER      PROFESSIONAL      PREPARA- 

TION 21 

IV.  EARLY  PRIVATE  PRACTICE  30 
V.    LATER   PRIVATE  PRACTICE  40 

VI.    BOSTON  CITY  HOSPITAL  54 

VII.    OTHER  PROFESSIONAL  ASSOCIATIONS. 

WRITINGS  63 

VIII.    SUMMARY    OF    DOCTOR    GAVIN'S    PRO- 
FESSIONAL CAREER  77 

IX.    BUSINESS     AND     SOCIAL     ACTIVITIES. 

HOME.   RECREATIONS.   LIBRARY.  95 

X.    HIS   CHARACTER  114 

EXTRACTS   FROM   LETTERS  131 


LIST  OF   ILLUSTRATIONS 

MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN,   M.D.  Frontispiece 

DR.  GAVIN  AS  ACTING  ASSISTANT  SURGEON, 

U.S.N.  1863  16 

DR.   GAVIN  AS  FIRST  LIEUTENANT  AND  AS- 
SISTANT SURGEON,   U.S.V.    1865  26 

DR.  GAVIN  AT  THE  TIME  OF  HIS  MARRIAGE 
IN    1876  42 

HOUSE     OFFICERS     OF     THE     BOSTON     CITY 
HOSPITAL   IN    1865  54 

DR.    GAVIN'S    SURGICAL    SERVICE    AT    THE 
BOSTON   CITY   HOSPITAL   IN    1903  60 

DR.   GAVIN   IN   MIDDLE  LIFE  84 

IN   CAMP  AT   "THE  BIRCHES  "  104 

LETTER  TO   MRS.   GAVIN  132 


INTRODUCTION 

To  no  man  in  any  walk  of  life  is  there  given  a 
larger  opportunity  for  personal  helpfulness  than  to 
the  physician  :  his  touch  with  the  vital  concerns  of 
his  fellows  is  the  more  immediate,  and  the  more 
directive,  because  the  condition  of  the  relationship 
is  distinctly  personal ;  barriers  fall  away  before  the 
pressure  of  a  need,  entitled  because  of  its  individu- 
ality, as  well  as  because  of  its  companionship  in 
common  welfare,  to  the  help  it  seeks. 

As  the  custodian  of  painstakingly  acquired  knowl- 
edge, at  the  disposal  of  whosoever  may  be  bettered 
by  its  application,  the  physician  holds  an  enviable 
place  in  the  community,  and  finds  in  it  ample  oppor- 
tunity for  the  outgiving  of  such  qualities  as  are  evi- 
denced in  kindliness,  helpfulness,  encouragement, 
and  the  gentle  and  discriminative  presentation  of 
the  truth. 

The  ability  to  make  just  and  continued  application 
of  such  gifts,  to  supplement  the  lack  in  other  lives 
by  remedies  other  than  material  merely,  bespeaks 
the  possession  of  a  fund  of  wholesomeness,  of  a 
sane  appreciation  of  the  beauty  and  the  goodness 
of  life,  and  of  a  sympathy  illuminated  by  the  desire 
to  pass  on  these  acquisitions. 

ix 


INTRODUCTION 

Of  such  sort  was  the  man  whose  name  this  vol- 
ume bears,  —  its  contents  the  testimony  of  his  own 
recorded  well-lived  life,  and  the  tributes  of  his  fam- 
ily and  friends,  gathered  in  loving  memory  by  his 
son. 

To  have  centered  all  of  one's  best  possessions 
upon  a  useful  purpose,  to  have  brought  to  bear 
upon  this  all  of  one's  best  characteristics,  to  have 
put  aside  self  in  order  to  follow  duty  in  the  light 
of  a  reverent  faith,  is  to  have  lived  and  wrought 
as  did  our  friend. 

Clarence  John  Blake,  M.D. 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN   GAVIN 


MICHAEL   FREEBERN   GAVIN 


CHAPTER   I 

ANCESTRY  AND   CHILDHOOD 

Michael  Freebern  Gavin,  the  son  of  John 
Gavin  and  Mary  Freebern  Gavin,  was  born  at 
Roscommon,  Ireland,  on  the  twelfth  of  May,  1844. 
His  father,  John  Gavin,  a  carriage-builder  by  trade, 
came  originally  from  County  Galway,  but  later 
moved  to  Roscommon  and  established  his  busi- 
ness there ;  and  there  he  married  Mary  Freebern, 
who  was  of  Scotch  descent  and  whose  father,  Rob- 
ert Freebern,  had  been  an  officer  in  the  English 
army  and  had  fought  under  Wellington  at  Water- 
loo. Here,  at  Roscommon,  a  family  of  nine  chil- 
dren, five  boys  and  four  girls,  was  born  to  them, 
to  bless  their  long  and  happy  union.  Of  the  five 
sons,  Robert,  the  eldest,  remained  at  home  to 
carry  on  his  father's  trade,  while  the  other  four  — 
Michael  F.,  Patrick  F.,  John  H.,  and  George  F. 
—  departed,  one  by  one,  for  America,  where,  with 
a  striking  unanimity  of  choice,  each  of  the  four 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

in  turn  selected  for  his  profession  the  practice  of 
medicine. 

Michael  Freebern  Gavin  was  the  fifth  born  of 
the  nine  children  and  spent  the  first  twelve  years 
of  his  life  in  Roscommon,  where  he  received  his 
early  schooling  at  the  convent  of  the  Sisters  of 
Mercy.  Here  the  foundations  of  his  education,  in- 
cluding- the  rudiments  of  Latin  and  the  classics, 
were  thoroughly  laid,  and  here  the  deep  underly- 
ing religion  of  his  nature,  first  of  all  established 
in  his  home,  must  have  been  fostered  and  devel- 
oped. Here  also  in  his  birthplace,  in  some  degree, 
perhaps,  from  his  books,  but  doubtless  to  a  far 
greater  extent  from  his  surroundings,  he  acquired 
a  love  for  Ireland  and  an  interest  in  her  welfare 
which  endured  throughout  his  life. 

Nor  is  this  to  be  wondered  at :  for  the  little  town 
of  Roscommon,  though  numbering  only  two  thou- 
sand souls,  has  played  a  part  of  no  small  impor- 
tance in  the  history  of  the  nation.  Viewed  merely 
from  a  modern  standpoint,  it  is  noted  for  its  flour- 
ishing trade  in  live-stock  and  in  agricultural  prod- 
uce ;  and  it  is  moreover  the  county  town  for  County 
Roscommon,  so  that  here  are  held  the  assizes,  and, 
alternately  with  Boyle  and  Stokestown,  the  quar- 
ter sessions. 

Turning  from  the  present  to  the  past,  one  strikes 
at  once  deep  to  the  roots  of  Irish  history,  and 

2 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

enters  a  land  of  saints  and  priors,  of  soldiers  and 
princes,  a  land  rich  in  memories  of 

Old,  unhappy  far-off  things 
And  battles  long  ago. 

For  it  was  to  this  spot  that  Saint  Coman  came,  as 
early  as  the  sixth  century,  to  found  the  monastery 
of  Canons  Regular;  and  after  him  the  town  was 
named,  since  Roscommon  in  the  Irish  tongue 
means  the  Wood  of  Saint  Coman.  The  name  of 
the  Saint,  however,  is  not  all  that  is  left  to  recall 
to  the  people  of  Roscommon  the  history  of  their 
town.  There  remain  also  the  ruins  of  the  Domini- 
can priory  founded  in  the  middle  of  the  thirteenth 
century  by  Felim  O' Conor,  Prince  of  Connaught, 
son  of  Cahal  of  the  Red  Hand,  which  still  reveal, 
in  spite  of  mutilation  and  decay,  traces  of  the  skill 
of  architects  and  builders  of  those  early  days.  The 
near-by  Abbey  of  Boyle,  a  celebrated  Cistercian 
monastery  founded  in  the  twelfth  century  and 
richly  endowed,  is  another  excellent  example  of  the 
culture  of  the  past.  It  was  long  known  through- 
out the  country  as  a  seat  of  learning,  and  there 
were  composed  the  Annals  of  Boyle,  authentic  rec- 
ords of  ancient  Irish  history.  Roscommon  was  al- 
ways noted  for  its  learning  and  for  the  fact  that  its 
monasteries  persisted  in  maintaining  their  Irish 
superiors  in  the  face  of  violent  Norman  opposition. 

3 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

If  the  priories  thus  bring  to  the  mind  thoughts 
of  religion  and  of  peace,  there  stands  near  by,  on 
the  outskirts  of  the  town,  a  reminder  of  ancient 
strife  in  the  ruins  of  the  Anglo-Norman  castle 
founded  in  the  year  1268  by  John  D'Ufford,  Jus- 
ticiary of  Ireland.  Thrice  during  the  sixteenth  and 
seventeenth  centuries  this  castle  was  besieged  by 
invaders,  and  finally,  after  the  battle  of  Aughrim  in 
1 69 1,  it  was  partially  destroyed  and  burned;  yet 
portions  of  its  walls  remain,  and  from  its  slope  of 
rising  ground  it  still  looks  down  upon  the  plain 
below,  defying  time  and  change. 

All  these  memories  of  Roscommon's  former 
greatness  must  have  played  their  part  in  forming 
Michael  Gavin's  early  impressions,  and  in  instill- 
ing in  his  heart  the  love  he  always  felt  for  his 
birthplace  and  his  interest  in  his  country  at  large. 
In  later  years  he  refers  to  "  the  good  old  town  of 
my  birth.  My  senses  are  as  warm  to  its  residents 
and  its  welfare  as  if  I  still  paraded  the  main  street 
and  held  forth  in  Abbeytown."  For  Ireland  and 
for  her  people  he  had  a  lasting  fondness.  Miss 
Katherine  E.  Conway,  the  authoress,  says  of  him  : 
"  Like  all  noble-hearted  men  of  Irish  blood,  he 
loved  his  native  land  and  was  well  informed  re' 
garding  her  history."  His  library  contained  scores 
of  books  on  the  subject  of  Ireland.  The  standard 
Irish  histories,  dealing  with  both  ancient  and  mod- 

4 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

ern  times,  volumes  covering  all  periods  of  spe- 
cial interest,  the  old  Irish  sages,  religious  works, 
geographies,  biographies  of  statesmen  and  patriots, 
fiction,  poetry,  folk-lore,  —  many  of  the  volumes 
autographed,  —  everything  was  there,  in  fact,  of 
interest  to  the  student  of  Ireland  and  of  Irish  af- 
fairs. Though  never  ostentatious  in  his  interest, 
Michael  Gavin  never  forgot  his  native  country  and 
her  people,  and  his  hopes  were  always,  as  Miss 
Conway  again  expresses  it,  "for  a  practical  real- 
ization of  her  dreams." 

Mr.  James  E.  Cotter,  a  friend  of  later  years,  aptly 
phrases  his  thought  in  saying:  "He  was  both  an 
intense  and  patriotic  American,  but  at  the  same 
time  always  a  loyal  Irishman."  His  life  in  this  re- 
spect recalls  to  mind  that  consummate  artist,  son 
of  "  the  heather  and  the  wind,"  who  wrote  in  dis- 
tant Calistoga,  — 

From  the  dim  shieling  on  the  misty  island 
Mountains  divide  us,  and  a  world  of  seas; 
Yet  still  our  hearts  are  true,  our  hearts  are  Highland, 
And  we,  in  dreams,  behold  the  Hebrides. 

One  of  Michael  Gavin's  strongest  inherent  traits 
was  his  love  for,  or  rather  his  devotion  to,  his 
parents.  This  love  was  a  very  deeply  rooted  part 
of  his  nature  and  endured  undiminished  by  sepa- 
ration or  time.  In  a  letter  written  by  him  in  1876, 
years  after  he  had  left  Roscommon,  when  he  was 

5 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

successfully  established  in  his  profession  in  Amer- 
ica, he  says :  "  I  have  a  letter  to  write  to  my  dear 
Father  before  going  to  bed  to-night,  and  the  pleas- 
ure it  gives  me  to  do  so,  is  only  equalled  by  see- 
ing him  or  getting  a  letter  from  him.  To  me  it 
always  appears  that  I  am  still  young  and  a  child, 
while  I  get  letters  beginning  with  the  affectionate 
'  My  dear  child,'  or  '  My  dear  Boy.'  To  many,  such 
a  feeling  might  appear  childish,  but  I  am  willing 
to  act  the  child  under  these  circumstances."  And 
on  another  occasion  he  writes :  "I  often  think  of 
the  great  pleasure  it  always  afforded  me  to  sit 
down  and  chat  with  my  father.  Those  who  knew 
my  father  when  he  was  young  often  tell  me  that  I 
resemble  him  very  much.  No  small  compliment, 
by  the  way." 

Although  his  mother  died  when  he  was  young, 
her  memory  was  always  fresh,  and  treasured  in 
Michael  Gavin's  heart.  To  quote  once  more  from 
his  letters :  "  There  are  some  songs  which  my 
mother  was  in  the  habit  of  singing,  that  whenever 
I  hear  them  sung  it  is  with  the  greatest  difficulty 
that  I  can  keep  back  my  tears.  She  was  particu- 
larly fond  of  the  old  Scotch  ballads,  some  of  which 
are  really  beautiful.  My  old  friend,  Mr.  Grant,  was 
in  the  habit  of  playing  many  of  them  for  me,  and 
although  they  make  me  sad,  it  is  a  sadness  that 
brings  with  it  all  the  endearing  qualities  of  the 

6 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

best  of  mothers."  Again  :  "  There  are  times  when 
I  find  myself  reverting  back  to  the  time  when  my 
mother  would  sit  down  in  the  evening  and  read 
stories  for  us,  riveting  our  attention  to  every  word 
she  said  and  making  us  feel  as  if  we  were  the  actors 
in  the  story  and  not  the  hearers.  There  are  some 
of  the  home  scenes,  which  have  such  an  attraction 
for  me,  never  to  be  effaced." 

In  reviewing  later  Michael  Gavin's  life,  charac- 
ter, and  ideals  we  must  not,  therefore,  forget  the 
effect  that  this  feeling  of  love  and  respect  for  his 
parents  must  have  had  upon  him,  and  the  unclouded, 
deserved  devotion  they  commanded  from  a  nature 
such  as  his  should  be  given  due  credit  for  the  great- 
est influence  on  his  later  development. 

Having  thus  glanced  at  some  of  the  direct  fac- 
tors which  tended  to  shape  and  develop  Michael 
Gavin's  character,  there  remain  to  be  considered 
other  influences  of  race  and  ancestry  producing 
certain  racial  characteristics,  which  he  possessed 
in  a  marked  degree.  First,  he  was  distinguished  for 
his  geniality,  for  that  which  has  been  termed  the 
"sunniness"  of  the  Irish  nature.  It  was  not,  how- 
ever, that  effusive,  somewhat  strained  geniality 
which  some  men  assume  as  a  distinct  manner,  to 
be  put  on  or  laid  aside  as  the  occasion  may  de- 
mand ;  but  with  him  it  took  the  form  of  a  kindli- 
ness so  quiet  and  restrained,  that  most  people  meet- 

7 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

ing  him  for  the  first  time  possibly  failed  to  ap- 
preciate the  qualities  of  heart  and  brain  which  lay 
beneath  his  unassuming  exterior.  This  kindliness 
had,  moreover,  the  great  quality  of  being  lasting. 
In  the  homely  but  expressive  phrase,  he  was  a 
man  who  was  "always  the  same,"  equally  to  be 
relied  upon  in  a  desperate  crisis,  or  in  the  quiet 
round  of  everyday  life. 

A  second  racial  quality  of  Michael  Gavin's  was 
his  domesticity.  While  he  was  distinctly  a  broad 
man,  who  read  widely  and  had  traveled  much,  who 
mingled  freely  with  all  classes,  and  studied  them 
from  varying  viewpoints,  yet  despite  his  many  ac- 
tivities, when  all  of  his  outside  work  was  over,  he 
turned  instinctively  and  unerringly  to  his  home. 
He  was  in  no  sense  of  the  word  a  "club-man"  or 
a  man  who  cared  for  public  life.  The  simple  do- 
mestic ties,  the  companionship  of  wife  and  son  and 
daughter,  the  pleasant  familiar  chat  with  friends, 
the  quiet  of  his  library,  —  these  were  the  things 
Michael  Gavin  prized.  To  quote  his  own  words, 
"The  more  I  stop  at  home  the  greater  my  love  for 
home  becomes,  for  at  home  I  can  always  find  some- 
thing to  learn." 

Thirdly,  he  possessed  an  Irishman's  ingrained 
veneration  for  religion,  fostered  and  developed, 
first,  by  an  ideal  Catholic  home,  and  then  by  his 
early  education;  and  while  in  this  respect  he  was 

8 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

again  unostentatious,  yet  his  life  was  lived  with  a 
firm  belief  in,  and  reliance  on,  a  beneficent  Cre- 
ator, who  ordains  events  for  the  best,  and  in  whom 
is  to  be  found  consolation. 

Lastly,  Michael  Gavin  possessed  that  typical 
Irish  trait,  so  hard  to  express  in  a  single  word,  but 
which  might  be  called  alertness,  or  a  delight  in 
life. 

It  was  this  love  of  life,  this  unquenchable  joy  in 
experiencing  its  daily  miracles,  which  so  strongly 
characterized  Michael  Gavin.  He  never  wearied  of 
the  great  pageant  of  the  world,  was  never  for  an 
instant  bored  by  it.  He  enjoyed  nature  to  the  full : 
flowers;  the  blossoming  trees  in  the  springtime; 
the  summer  skies ;  the  woods ;  the  ocean.  In  one  of 
his  letters  he  minutely  describes  the  coming  of  two 
swallows  to  his  garden,  and  their  home-building 
there.  He  had  his  work,  his  family,  his  friends,  his 
books,  —  a  thousand  and  one  interests  to  fill  his 
busy  days.  "I  cannot  see,"  he  writes,  "how  peo- 
ple can  live  and  be  happy,  without  constant  occu- 
pation of  mind  and  body."  Inactivity,  the  wasting 
of  precious  moments,  was  perhaps  the  one  thing 
he  could  not  endure.  He  lived  his  life  to  the  full. 

Thus,  from  an  outline  of  his  birth  and  parentage, 
a  faint  portrait  of  Michael  Gavin  begins  to  emerge ; 
the  picture  of  a  man  genial,  affectionate,  high- 
minded,  and  sincerely  religious,  the  picture  of  a 

9 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

man  whom  many  of  his  friends  have  sought  to  re- 
member by  terming  him,  "  In  the  best  and  finest 
meaning  of  the  words  a  true  Irish  gentleman  of  the 
old  school." 


CHAPTER  II 

EDUCATION.     MEDICAL  STUDIES 

At  the  age  of  thirteen  Michael  Gavin  came  to 
America.  Some  years  before,  his  sister  Mary  had 
married  Patrick  Morris  of  Roscommon,  and  shortly 
after  their  marriage  they  had  left  Ireland  for  Amer- 
ica, where  Mr.  Morris  established  himself  as  a  drug- 
gist, on  the  corner  of  Federal  and  Purchase  streets 
in  Boston.  The  business  prospered  and  the  Mor- 
rises, realizing  that  opportunities  for  success  were 
greater  in  the  new  world  than  in  the  old,  sent  word 
for  Michael  to  come  and  live  with  them.  Accord- 
ingly, in  1857,  he  crossed  the  ocean  alone,  and  for 
the  next  few  years  made  his  home  with  his  sister, 
pursuing  his  studies  at  the  school  of  William  T. 
Adams  (the  well-known  "  Oliver  Optic"  and  author 
of  Oliver  Optic's  Annual),  which  was  located  on 
lower  Broadway,  South  Boston.  A  lasting  intimacy 
grew  up  between  teacher  and  pupil,  and  years 
later,  after  Michael  Gavin  was  established  in  his 
profession,  he  would  take  delight  in  driving  to 
Dorchester  and  chatting  again  with  Mr.  Adams, 
for  whom  he  always  had  the  warmest  liking  and 
regard. 

11 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

At  this  time  he  had  also  the  opportunity  of  being 
tutored  in  special  subjects,  especially  in  Latin, 
which  helped  him  much  in  his  later  medical  work. 
In  his  spare  moments  he  worked  in  Mr.  Morris's 
store  and  thereby  obtained  a  knowledge  of  materia 
medica,  which  in  after  years  was  to  prove  extremely 
serviceable.  A  pleasant  glimpse  of  him  at  this 
period  is  afforded  us  by  a  lady  who  remembers,  as 
a  child,  going  with  other  small  companions  to  Mr. 
Morris's  shop  to  purchase  lollipops  and  other  dain- 
ties dear  to  the  heart  of  youth.  It  was  young  Gavin 
who  always  served  them,  and  it  is  interesting  to 
observe  that  even  then  he  displayed  the  same  traits 
of  character  which  were  later  to  endear  him  so 
deeply  to  his  friends. 

As  soon  as  we  entered  [says  the  lady],  he  would  put 
down  his  book  and  come  forward  quickly  and  smiling- 
ly to  find  out  what  it  was  that  we  desired.  He  was 
always  pleasant,  courteous  and  kind,  and  showed  a 
regard  for  the  children  who  patronized  the  shop,  and 
an  interest  in  pleasing  them,  which  made  us  all  adore 
him,  since  we  felt,  instinctively,  that  his  liking  for  us 
was  not  in  the  least  assumed  but  was  perfectly  gen- 
uine and  sincere. 

At  this  time  two  friends  of  Michael  Gavin  were 
with  him  in  Mr.  Morris's  store,  and,  strangely 
enough,  all  three  were  destined  to  take  up  later 
the  study  of  medicine,  and  to  follow  it  successfully 

12 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

throughout  their  lives.  One  of  these  friends  was 
Dr.  John  G.  Blake  of  Boston,  and  the  other  Dr. 
Francis  C.  Plunkett  of  Lowell. 

It  must  have  been  about  the  year  i860  that 
Michael  Gavin  definitely  decided  to  follow  the 
practice  of  medicine,  and  he  accordingly  com- 
pleted his  schooling,  studying  further  with  a  pri- 
vate tutor,  and,  while  still  attending  to  his  duties 
at  Mr.  Morris's,  read,  in  his  leisure  moments,  as 
widely  as  possible  upon  medical  subjects;  and  so, 
by  1861,  he  was  ready  to  enter  the  Harvard  Medical 
School.  According  to  the  regulations  of  the  school, 
in  those  times,  three  years'  study  of  medicine  was 
necessary  for  a  degree,  but  two  years  only  had  to 
be  spent  at  the  school.  During  the  third  year  the 
candidate  might  attend  some  other  institution,  or 
might  study  under  the  supervision  of  some  duly 
qualified  physician,  or  in  some  hospital.  Michael 
Gavin  took  the  required  two  years'  work  in  the 
School,  and  in  addition  took  summer  courses  in 
1 86 1,  1862,  and  1863.  He  attended  clinics  at  the 
Massachusetts  General  Hospital  and  performed 
surgical  dispensary  work  as  well.  His  superior  at 
this  time  commended  his  work  in  the  dispensary 
as  "  faithful,  zealous,  prompt,  and  practical." 

At  this  time  the  Faculty  of  the  Medical  School 
was  made  up  as  follows :  Dr.  D.  Humphreys 
Storer  was  the  Dean  of  the  Faculty,  and  Professor 

13 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

of  Midwifery  and  Medical  Jurisprudence ;  Dr.  John 
B.  S.  Jackson  was  Professor  of  Pathological  Anat- 
omy ;  Dr.  Henry  I.  Bowditch  was  Professor  of 
Clinical  Medicine ;  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes 
was  Professor  of  Anatomy  and  Physiology ;  Dr. 
George  C.  Shattuck  and  Dr.  Calvin  Ellis  were 
Professors  of  Theory  and  Practice;  Dr.  John  Bacon 
was  Professor  of  Chemistry;  Dr.  Henry  J.  Bige- 
low  was  Professor  of  Surgery;  Dr.  Edward  H. 
Clarke  was  Professor  of  Materia  Medica ;  and  Dr. 
Charles  E.  Brown-Sequard  was  Professor  of  the 
Physiology  and  Pathology  of  the  Nervous  System 
—  an  imposing  list  of  learned  scholars  and  distin- 
guished practitioners. 

Michael  Gavin  entered  the  Medical  School  in 
1 86 1,  took  all  the  required  work,  and  received  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  in  the  spring  of  1864. 
Although  in  the  light  of  modern  requirements  it 
might  appear  that  the  student  of  those  days  pro- 
ceeded along  a  simple  path,  the  actual  acquisition 
of  a  degree  was  by  no  means  an  easy  task.  A  final 
oral  examination  in  nine  different  subjects  had  to 
be  passed  successfully,  and  the  names  of  the  faculty 
in  Michael  Gavin's  day,  as  just  recounted,  are  of  a 
quality  sufficient  to  convince  one  that  this  test,  with 
its  interviews  with  each  professor  in  turn,  must 
have  been  an  ordeal  of  no  small  magnitude. 

The  period  during  which  Michael  Gavin  at- 
14 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

tended  the  Medical  School  was  a  memorable  one 
in  the  history  of  America,  and  recalls  at  once  to 
mind  the  strife  which  was  then  raging  between 
the  North  and  the  South.  It  is  evident  that  while 
still  a  medical  student  young  Gavin  was  eager 
to  go  to  the  front,  for  in  July,  1862,  he  took  the 
examination  for  acting  assistant  surgeon  in  the 
United  States  Navy.  A  friendship  had  developed 
between  him  and  his  Professor,  Dr.  Oliver  Wen- 
dell Holmes,  and  the  following  letter  is  interest- 
ing, showing  as  it  does  the  regard  which  Dr. 
Holmes  felt  for  his  pupil. 

Boston,  July  15,  1862. 

Mr.  JVT.  F.  Gavin  attended  Medical  Lectures  during 
the  last  season  of  the  school  of  Harvard  University. 
I  formed  his  acquaintance  and  was  very  favorably  im- 
pressed with  his  intelligence  and  agreeable  manner. 
He  was  a  most  attentive  student  and  bears  every  mark 
of  being  earnest  in  the  pursuit  of  the  knowledge  which 
will  make  him  useful. 

As  Mr.  Gavin  wishes  to  be  considered  as  a  candi- 
date for  the  place  as  Acting  Assistant  Surgeon  in  the 
Navy,  it  gives  me  much  pleasure  to  commend  him  to 
the  kind  and  candid  attention  of  the  examiners. 

Hoping  that  he  will  prove  himself  fitted  for  the  place 
which  I  believe  he  will  fill  ably  and  honorably,  I  am, 

Yours  very  truly, 
Oliver  Wendell  Holmes. 

Undoubtedly  his  youth  counted  against  young 
Gavin,  for  he  did  not  receive  his  appointment  that 

15 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

year,  but  in  the  following  year,  Dr.  Holmes  again 
recommended  him  as  follows : 

21  Charles  St.,  Sept.  8,  1863. 
My  dear  Sir:  — 

I  have  much  pleasure  in  recommending  to  your  no- 
tice Mr.  M.  F.  Gavin  the  bearer  of  this  note.  He 
wishes  to  be  examined  for  a  place  as  Acting  Assistant 
Surgeon  in  the  Navy. 

I  have  seen  a  great  deal  of  Mr.  Gavin  and  found  him 
a  very  amiable  and  intelligent  young  man,  whom  it 
would  give  me  real  pleasure  to  assist  in  his  professional 
career,  feeling  confident  that  he  means  to  try  hard  for 
success,  and  not  doubting,  that  if  placed  in  a  position 
to  show  his  zeal  and  capacity,  he  will  do  himself  and 
his  instructors  credit. 

I  am,  my  dear  sir, 

Yours  very  truly, 

O.  W.  Holmes. 

This  time  he  received  his  appointment,  but  there 
was  another  delay  and  when  he  finally  had  orders 
to  report  for  duty  at  Cairo,  Illinois,  with  Rear  Ad- 
miral Porter's  Mississippi  squadron,  his  plans  had 
been  completely  changed,  and  with  prospects  of  a 
useful  medical  career  before  him,  it  seemed  best 
to  the  Doctor  and  his  friends  to  abandon  the  idea 
of  entering  the  Navy  at  this  time ;  and  so,  on  Oc- 
tober 17,  1863,  his  appointment  was  revoked.  It 
is  interesting,  however,  to  read  what  he  writes  in 
a  letter  to  a  friend  :  "  The  poet  Holmes  has  been 
one  of  my  best  friends.    How  pleased  he  was  to 

16 


DR.   GAVIN  AS  ACTING  ASSISTANT  SURGEON,  U.S.N.   1863 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

see  me,  after  getting  a  commission  in  the  United 
States  Navy  for  which  he  had  recommended  me. 
Of  course  I  called  to  see  him  dressed  in  my  mili- 
tary suit  with  gold  lace.  ..."  This  intimacy  be- 
tween professor  and  pupil  was  destined  to  continue 
for  many  years,  and  is  evidenced  by  several  other 
interesting  letters  from  Dr.  Holmes,  written  to  Mr. 
Gavin  years  afterwards,  when  the  younger  man 
was  practising  for  himself. 

Although  his  plans  to  enter  the  Navy  were  not 
carried  out,  the  war  was  destined  to  influence 
Michael  Gavin's  future  in  another  way,  and  even 
before  his  graduation  from  the  Medical  School 
gave  him  the  opportunity  of  becoming  connected 
with  the  Boston  City  Hospital  and  of  serving  there 
as  house  officer,  not  only  during  the  first  year  of 
its  existence,  but  even  from  the  day  when  its  doors 
were  thrown  open  to  the  public.  The  events  lead- 
ing up  to  the  establishment  of  the  hospital  and  to 
Dr.  Gavin's  appointment  were  briefly  as  follows. 
As  early  as  1849,  there  had  been  some  discussion 
as  to  the  advisability  of  building  a  hospital  for  the 
worthy  poor  of  Boston.  Nothing  definite,  how- 
ever, was  accomplished  and  the  project  slumbered 
for  some  years,  only  to  be  revived  in  1856,  and 
finally  to  come  into  actual  being  in  1861.  Ground 
was  broken  for  the  hospital  on  September  9  of  that 
year,  and  the  first  board  of  trustees  was  appointed 

17 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

in  1863.  Numerous  changes  have  been  made  since 
then,  with  regard  both  to  the  number  of  trustees 
and  to  the  manner  of  their  appointment ;  but  ac- 
cording to  the  provisions  of  the  original  statute, 
the  Board  was  to  consist  of  eight  members,  two 
from  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  three  from  the  Com- 
mon Council,  and  three  citizens  at  large,  to  be 
elected  by  the  Council.  In  accordance,  therefore, 
with  the  statute,  the  first  Board  of  Trustees  con- 
sisted of  Thomas  C.  Amory,  Jr.,  and  the  Honor- 
able Otis  Norcross  from  the  Board  of  Aldermen, 
and  Joseph  Buckley,  Lucius  A.  Cutler,  and  David 
H.  Coolidge,  from  the  Common  Council,  while 
Sumner  Crosby,  Dr.  William  R.  Lawrence,  and 
Andrew  Carney,  founder  of  the  Carney  Hospital, 
were  chosen  as  members  at  large.  Mr.  Carney, 
however,  being  unable  to  serve,  Theodore  Metcalf 
was  chosen  in  his  place,  and  the  Trustees  pro- 
ceeded to  organize  by  electing  Mr.  Coolidge  as 
Secretary  and  Mr.  Amory  as  President. 

By  the  following  year,  when  Dr.  Gavin  was  first 
to  become  connected  with  the  hospital,  various 
changes  had  taken  place  in  the  make-up  of  the 
Board.  George  W.  Warren,  from  the  Board  of 
Aldermen,  had  taken  the  place  of  Mr.  Amory ;  John 
Tisdale  Bradlee,  from  the  Council,  had  succeeded 
Mr.  Cutler,  who  had  been  chosen  Superintendent 
of  the  hospital ;  and  the  Honorable  Otis  Norcross 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

had  been  elected  President  of  the  Board,  and  in 
that  capacity  received  the  keys  of  the  hospital  at 
its  dedication  on  May  24,  1864. 

Meanwhile,  the  visiting  physicians  and  surgeons 
of  the  hospital  had  been  appointed,  and  on  Febru- 
ary 24, 1864,  they  convened  at  the  residence  of  Dr. 
John  Homans,  the  Senior  Physician,  at  No.  11  Ar- 
lington Street.  The  visiting  physicians  were  Dr.  John 
Homans,  Dr.  W.  W.  Morland,  Dr.  F.  E.  Oliver,  Dr. 
J.  B.  Upham,  Dr.  John  N.  Borland,  and  Dr.  J.  G. 
Blake  ;  the  visiting  surgeons  were  Dr.  C.  H.  Sted- 
man,  Dr.  C.  E.  Buckingham,  Dr.  D.  McB.  Thaxter, 
Dr.  C.  D.  Homans,  Dr.  A.  Coolidge,  Dr.  D.  W. 
Cheever  ;  and  the  ophthalmic  surgeon  was  Dr.  H. 
W.  Williams. 

Having  organized  by  electing  Dr.  John  Homans 
as  Chairman  and  Dr.  Borland  as  Secretary,  a  spe- 
cial meeting  was  held  on  March  10,  1864,  at  the 
rooms  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical  Society,  to  ex- 
amine candidates  for  the  position  of  house  officers. 
These  candidates  were  supposed  to  be  graduates 
in  medicine,  but  the  demand  for  physicians  and 
surgeons  at  the  front  had  been  so  great  that  most 
of  the  graduates  had  entered  the  service  either  of 
the  Army  or  the  Navy,  and  as  a  result  no  candi- 
dates presented  themselves.  Accordingly,  the  Board 
of  Physicians  and  Surgeons  requested  the  Trustees 
to  allow  students  in  the  third  year  of  their  course 

19 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

at  the  Harvard  Medical  School  to  present  them- 
selves as  candidates  ;  and  this  request  being  com- 
plied with,  an  oral  examination  was  held  on  April  i, 
1864,  and  as  a  result  of  it,  Mr.  Gavin  and  Mr.  D. 
F.  Lincoln  were  appointed  as  house  surgeons,  Mr. 
John  Dole  and  Mr.  C.  J.  Blake  as  house  physicians, 
and  Mr.  E.  G.  Loring  as  ophthalmic  externe. 

Thus,  although  not  twenty  years  of  age,  Dr. 
Gavin  had  passed  successfully  his  first  important 
test,  and  stood  ready  to  enter  in  earnest  upon  those 
professional  duties  which  he  was  to  pursue  so  ard- 
uously for  so  long  a  period  of  years. 


CHAPTER  III 

FURTHER  PROFESSIONAL  PREPARATION 

The  dedication  of  the  Boston  City  Hospital  oc- 
curred on  May  24,  1864.  The  exercises  began  with 
a  selection  by  the  choir ;  then  followed  the  deliv- 
ery of  the  keys  by  Alderman  Davies,  Chairman 
of  the  Committee  on  Public  Buildings,  to  Mayor 
Lincoln,  who,  in  turn,  handed  them  to  Otis  Nor- 
cross,  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees.  After  a 
response  from  Mr.  Norcross,  the  Rev.  William  S. 
Studley  led  the  meeting  in  prayer,  and  Thomas 
C .  Amory,  Jr.,  former  President  of  the  Board  of 
Trustees,  delivered  an  address.  Then  followed  the 
hymn  and  the  benediction,  which  brought  the  ex- 
ercises to  a  close. 

Of  Dr.  Gavin's  activities,  during  these  early  days 
of  the  hospital,  we  may  form  some  idea  from  two 
extracts.  The  first  of  these  is  historically  of  great 
interest. 

On  the  surgical  side  Drs.  Cheever  and  Stedman 
made  the  first  visits  on  June  1,  1864.  On  the  first 
Friday  in  June,  being  the  first  public  operating  day, 
Dr.  Cheever  did  the  first  surgical  operation  in  the 
amphitheatre  in  the  central  dome  at  11  a.m.  It  was 
an  adult  male,  with  cancer  of  the  commissure  of  the 

21 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

lips  and  cheek;  excision  and  repair  constituted  the 
operation.  Dr.  Gavin  assisted  as  house  surgeon,  and 
Dr.  C.  J.  Blake  made  a  water-color  drawing  of  the 
diseased  parts.1 

The  second  extract  gives  a  faithful  and  spirited 
picture  of  the  daily  routine  of  Dr.  Gavin's  life  in  the 
Hospital. 

The  House  Officer  of  those  days  had  a  much  wider 
range  of  duties  than  his  fellow  of  to-day.  .  .  .  He  was 
required  to  look  after  the  house  patients,  to  attend  to 
the  out-patients  half  of  the  time,  to  attend  to  acci- 
dents and  emergencies,  to  do  what  laboratory  work 
there  was  to  do,  to  keep  the  clinical  records,  to  attend, 
make  notes  of,  and  occasionally  make  autopsies,  to 
assist  his  colleagues  in  numerous  ways,  as  in  minor 
operations,  dressing  fractures.  .  .  . 

The  hustling  House  Officer  who  was  thoroughly 
interested  in  his  work  generally  managed  to  see  his 
very  sickest  patients  before  breakfast,  and  every  few 
hours  through  the  day.  He  was  supposed  to  see  all  of 
his  patients  before  his  surgeon  arrived,  at  ten  or  there- 
abouts. The  visit  with  him  lasted  from  one  to  three 
hours.  After  dinner,  at  one  o'clock,  he  was  usually 
kept  busy  all  the  afternoon  carrying  out  the  directions 
of  his  chief  —  dressing  fractures,  applying  starch,  glue 
or  dextrine  (glass)  bandages  (plaster  of  Paris  was  little 
used  then),  attending  to  accidents,  or  autopsies,  etc., 
until  it  was  time  to  make  the  evening  visit,  when  all  of 
the  patients  were  again  seen,  diet  and  liquor  lists  made 
out,  and  so  far  as  possible,  everything  made  ready  for 
the  night. 

1  A  History  of  the  Boston  City  Hospital,  published  in  1906. 
Article  by  Dr.  J.  Bapst  Blake. 

22 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

The  evenings  were  usually  devoted  to  writing  rec- 
ords, doing  laboratory  work,  and  the  numerous  other 
things  for  which  no  time  could  be  found  during  the 
day.  Those  were  busy,  happy  days,  full  of  the  keenest 
interest  and  the  most  valuable  experience  that  a  stu- 
dent could  possibly  have.  It  was  no  uncommon  thing 
for  a  house  officer  to  become  so  engrossed  in  his  work 
that  he  would  not  go  outside  the  Hospital  for  weeks, 
—  a  custom,  by  the  way,  that  is  not  to  be  commended. 
And  how  tired  we  used  to  get ! 1 

This,  then,  was  the  kind  of  work  which  Dr.  Gavin 
was  called  upon  to  do  and  which  he  did  faithfully 
and  well.  Of  his  abilities  when  a  student  at  the 
Medical  School,  we  may  form  an  estimate  from  the 
words  of  his  classmate  and  fellow  house  officer,  Dr. 
Clarence  J.  Blake. 

Dr.  Gavin  [says  Dr.  Blake]  was  a  good  student. 
He  was  careful  in  his  attendance,  studious,  and  with  a 
natural  taste  for  surgery,  made  excellent  dissections. 
He  had  a  straightforward,  kindly  way  of  dealing  with 
everyone,  and  was  possessed  of  a  buoyant  disposition 
and  a  sense  of  dry  humor  which  served  to  lighten  his 
labors. 

Equally  pleasant  is  the  picture  of  Dr.  Gavin  as 
House  Officer  in  the  Hospital  by  Dr.  David  F. 
Lincoln,  who  had  been  appointed  with  him  to  the 
surgical  side  of  the  service,  and  who  roomed  with 
him  at  the  Hospital,  and  so  during  a  year's  inti- 

1  A  History  of  the  Boston  City  Hospital,  published  in  1906. 
Article  by  Dr.  George  W.  Gay. 

23 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

macy,  had  an  excellent  opportunity  of  becoming 
well  acquainted  with  his  fellow  functionary. 

Dr.  Gavin  [says  Dr.  Lincoln]  impressed  me,  during 
the  time  I  knew  him,  in  a  number  of  ways.  First  of 
all  (and  I  do  not  consider  that  the  word  is  out  of  place 
in  speaking  of  the  character  of  a  man)  he  was  remark- 
able for  the  real  sweetness  of  his  disposition.  To  his 
superiors,  to  his  associates,  and  to  his  patients  he  was 
all  that  was  gentle  and  affectionate  and  kind,  and  yet 
I  cannot  make  it  too  clear  that  this  gentleness  and 
sweetness  did  not  mean  weakness,  for  when  the  occa- 
sion called  for  it,  Dr.  Gavin  could,  and  did,  speak  his 
mind  with  such  clearness  and  such  genuine  vigor,  that 
his  views  upon  the  subject  could  not  by  any  possibility 
be  misunderstood. 

Next,  after  his  kindness  to  friends,  I  should  speak  of 
his  sincerity.  Simplicity  was  his  great  characteristic, 
—  not  of  course  in  the  sense  in  which  the  word  is  some- 
times used,  as  implying  a  lack  of  intelligence,  for  Dr. 
Gavin  was  nothing  if  not  intelligent;  but  simplicity  in 
the  sense  of  clear-cut,  straight-forward  directness  of 
character;  he  possessed  not  the  faintest  trace  of  hy- 
pocrisy or  double-dealing,  but  was  always  a  sincere, 
clean-minded,  brave-hearted  gentleman. 

Again,  I  should  speak  of  a  side  of  his  character  of 
which  friends  of  later  life  may  not  have  seen  as  much 
as  I  did.  At  this  period  of  Dr.  Gavin's  life,  he  had,  out- 
side of  his  duties  at  the  Hospital,  no  great  responsibili- 
ties. He  was  a  young  man,  interested  in  his  work,  in- 
terested in  his  friends,  interested  in  everything  about 
him.  The  future  was  unclouded ;  much  knowledge  that 
was  to  come  to  him  later,  in  his  busy  career,  of  the  sor- 
row and  suffering  of  mankind,  was  as  yet  hidden  from 
him,  and  in  consequence,  when  his  work  was  over  for 

24 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

the  day,  and  he  had  a  chance  for  relaxation,  he  posi- 
tively effervesced  with  high  spirits.  Yet  although  his 
sense  of  humor  was  exceedingly  keen,  if  jest  happened 
to  change  to  earnest,  the  lightheartedness  of  the  boy 
would  drop  from  him  in  an  instant,  and  one  could  per- 
ceive behind  it  the  seriousness,  the  high  purpose,  and 
the  dignity  which  were  to  be  so  characteristic  of  him 
in  his  later  years. 

Lastly,  I  should  speak  of  his  great  devotion  to  his 
work.  This  manifested  itself  in  various  ways.  He  was 
the  most  faithful  of  house  officers;  he  never  shirked, 
nor  even  thought  of  shirking.  He  was  faithful,  also, 
to  his  patients,  and  showed  them  every  attention 
which  was  possible  for  him  to  bestow.  And  he  admired 
and  was  intensely  loyal  to  his  superior  officers  —  the 
visiting  surgeons  who  came  to  us,  each  in  turn,  to  do 
their  part  in  lightening  the  world's  burden  of  suffering 
and  pain. 

Thus  speaks  Dr.  Lincoln  of  his  room-mate.  An- 
other tribute  to  Dr.  Gavin  at  this  period  is  from 
Dr.  David  W.  Cheever,  whose  long  career  is  so 
well-known  and  under  whom  Dr.  Gavin  did  his 
work. 

When  the  Boston  City  Hospital  was  opened  in 
June,  1864,  it  was  voted  by  the  staff,  with  the  concur- 
rence of  the  Trustees,  that  all  candidates  for  the  posi- 
tion of  house  officer  should  be  subjected  to  a  competi- 
tive examination.  Dr.  Gavin  successfully  passed  this 
examination  and  was  appointed  as  house  surgeon  for 
the  term  of  one  year.  As  my  assistant,  while  I  was  on 
duty  as  visiting  surgeon,  Dr.  Gavin  was  uniformly 
obliging,  conscientious,  and  in  every  way  satisfactory. 
He  had,  in  his  nature,  an  unusually  large  amount  of 

25 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

humaneness,  and  consequently  took  the  greatest  inter- 
est in  his  patients,  and  looked  out  for  their  welfare  to 
the  utmost  extent  of  his  ability. 

On  April  i,  1865,  Dr.  Gavin's  term  of  service  as 
house  officer  at  the  Hospital  came  to  an  end.  On 
the  fourth  of  May,  he  took  and  passed  the  state 
examination  qualifying  him  to  practice.  On  May 
5  he  received  a  commission  in  the  Army  from 
Governor  Andrew,  with  a  three  years'  appoint- 
ment as  Assistant  Surgeon  of  the  57th  Regiment 
of  Massachusetts  Volunteers,  and  on  May  6  re- 
ceived orders  to  report  at  once  for  field-hospital 
duty  with  the  First  Division  of  the  Ninth  Army 
Corps  in  Virginia.  Dr.  Gavin  immediately  joined 
his  division,  and  although  seeing  no  actual  fight- 
ing, his  experience  of  military  and  camp  life  during 
the  summer  was  extremely  varied  and  interesting. 
The  war  was,  however,  by  this  time  nearly  over, 
peace  was  soon  declared,  and  in  August  his  regi- 
ment, together  with  many  others,  was  mustered 
out. 

Once  again,  therefore,  the  world  lay  before  him, 
and  as  thoroughness  was  a  characteristic  quality 
of  his,  he  determined  that  before  beginning  actual 
practice  he  would  seek  to  gain  a  still  wider  knowl- 
edge of  his  profession.  He  also  wished  to  revisit 
his  old  home  in  Ireland,  and  so  decided  to  return 
to  Roscommon  and*  then  pursue  his  studies  on  the 

26 


mm            m 

jg '                      ^^^^i 

Bk                    ta  «•■•--■       ■ 

;..r;"                         «* 

-  !■ 

Ml         ifl                      K^^^fe 

DR.   GAVIN   AS   FIRST   LIEUTENANT  AND   ASSISTANT 
SURGEON,   U.S.V.   1865 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Continent  and  at  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons 
in  Dublin. 

He  accordingly  embarked  and  reached  Ros- 
common in  September,  1865,  and  after  a  short 
visit  there,  went  by  way  of  Dublin  and  London  to 
Paris,  where  he  studied  from  October  until  Janu- 
ary, doing  work  in  the  various  hospitals  of  the 
city  and  having  an  opportunity  to  observe  the 
cholera  plague  which  was  then  raging  there.  On 
his  return  journey  to  Ireland  he  stopped  again  in 
London  for  some  further  work,  and  after  another 
brief  visit  at  his  home,  arrived  in  Dublin  in  March 
to  take  up  his  work  for  an  advanced  degree  at 
the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  in  that  city. 

Dr.  Gavin  was  already  acquainted  with  Profes- 
sor E.  W.  Mapother  of  the  Royal  College,  and 
from  his  Harvard  professors  he  had  brought  let- 
ters of  introduction  to  Dr.  Fleetwood  Churchill 
and  Dr.  W.  T.  Stoker,  of  the  same  institution.  It 
did  not  take  long  for  his  usual  characteristics  to 
assert  themselves,  and  for  his  instructors  in  Dublin 
to  become  enthusiastically  interested  in  their  young 
student  from  America.  Firm  and  lasting  friend- 
ships developed  between  Dr.  Gavin  and  these  men, 
which  both  sides  prized  highly,  and  which  led, 
after  the  ocean  had  separated  them,  to  an  interest- 
ing and  instructive  correspondence  which  was  car- 
ried on  for  many  years. 

27 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Dr.  Gavin  now  took  up  his  plans  to  "  surprise 
my  Roscommon  friends,"  as  he  wrote  home,  and 
accordingly  for  the  next  four  months  he  studied 
at  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons.  During  this 
period  he  worked  under  tremendous  pressure,  often 
beginning  his  day's  work  as  early  as  half-past  five 
in  the  morning  and  studying  up  to  midnight.  The 
examinations  themselves  were  very  severe,  last- 
ing four  or  five  days,  but  Dr.  Gavin  emerged  from 
the  ordeal  with  high  honors,  and  received  his  ad- 
vanced surgical  degree  on  the  twenty-first  of  Au- 
gust, 1866,  and  a  supplementary  medical  degree 
on  the  fifteenth  day  of  November,  of  the  same 
year,  becoming  a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  College  of 
Surgeons. 

His  success  was  hailed  with  delight,  not  only 
by  his  friends  in  Roscommon,  who  wrote  to  him 
upon  hearing  the  news,  "You  are  a  hero  here 
now,"  but  also  by  his  friends  in  America.  "  Dr. 
Holmes,"  writes  Dr.  John  G.  Blake,  "is  tickled  at 
one  of  his  boys  distinguishing  himself  so  much. 
It  is  a  great  honor  to  pass  so  high."  And  another 
classmate  writes :  "  The  Harvard  Faculty  are  much 
pleased  at  your  taking  a  place  at  the  Royal  Col' 
lege.  You  know  they  feel  a  personal  pride  in  any 
graduate  who  rises  above  the  dead  level,  for  in  his 
elevation  the  college  from  which  he  is  graduated 
is  honored.  There  is  hardly  anything  Storer,  Shat- 

28 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN   GAVIN 

tuck,  or  Holmes,  and  the  others  would  not  do  for 
you  now." 

In  September,  1866,  after  his  examinations  were 
over,  Dr.  Gavin  returned  to  Roscommon  and  re- 
mained there  through  the  fall  of  that  year,  work- 
ing at  the  County  Dispensary  with  Dr.  Reynolds 
Peyton,  a  distinguished  surgeon  of  that  time.  Dr. 
Gavin  had  made  use  of  his  two  previous  visits 
to  Roscommon,  short  as  they  were,  to  form  the 
acquaintance  of  Dr.  Peyton  and  had  already  done 
some  work  under  him ;  but  on  this  third  visit  he 
was  associated  with  him  for  three  months,  and 
in  later  life  referred  often  to  this  experience  as 
having  proved  of  the  very  greatest  benefit  to  him 
in  his  surgical  work. 

In  January,  1867,  he  returned  to  Boston,  and 
after  a  few  months  of  private  practice  at  No.  199 
Harrison  Avenue,  moved  to  South  Boston  and 
opened  his  office  at  1 1  Broadway,  where  his  pro- 
fessional career  was  successfully  started  and  estab- 
lished. It  is  thus  apparent  that,  when  Dr.  Gavin 
finally  considered  himself  ready  to  begin  private 
practice,  he  had  acquired  with  characteristic  thor- 
oughness a  fund  of  broad  experience,  which  in  the 
words  of  a  colleague  of  those  days  "  was  remark- 
able for  his  time." 


CHAPTER  IV 

EARLY  PRIVATE  PRACTICE 

The  beginning  of  Dr.  Gavin's  medical  career 
differed  materially  from  that  of  the  average  phy- 
sician. In  most  cases,  a  large  practice,  if  it  comes 
at  all,  is  built  up  slowly  and  by  degrees,  but  Dr. 
Gavin  was  unusually  successful  from  the  start; 
and  although  characteristically  modest,  and  not  a 
man  who  would  stretch  a  point  in  his  own  favor, 
yet  in  1868,  only  a  year  after  his  coming  to  South 
Boston,  he  writes  abroad  to  a  friend  that  he  ap- 
pears to  be  "firmly  established,"  and  only  a  little 
later  than  this,  refers  to  himself  as  "  well,  happy, 
and  very  busy,  with  almost  more  patients  than  I 
can  attend  to." 

In  tracing  the  development  of  Dr.  Gavin's  career 
it  is  interesting  to  note  how  one  of  his  most  valu- 
able and  likable  traits  was  actually  considered  at 
this  particular  period.  There  were  many  physicians 
in  practice  at  that  time,  who,  though  men  of  skill 
and  real  kindness  of  heart,  were  distinctly  of  that 
"old  school"  made  famous  by  Dr.  Abernethy  and 
others  of  like  nature,  who  believed  that  patients 
should  be  dominated,  and  made  to  accept  a  po- 

30 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

sition  of  inferiority  toward  their  doctors.  Thus, 
Dr.  Gavin's  quiet  courtesy,  and  lack  of  blustering 
self-assertion,  and  his  kindly  interest  in  his  pa- 
tients' welfare,  were  at  first  often  misunderstood. 
"  He  appears  to  be  a  very  nice  young  man,"  one 
elderly  gentleman  remarked,  after  a  visit  from 
Dr.  Gavin,  "  but  I  fear  he  does  n't  know  enough. 
He  does  n't  seem  to  shout  and  scold  the  way  a 
doctor  ought  to."  Presently,  however,  as  people 
grew  better  acquainted  with  the  Doctor,  they  came 
to  realize  that  kindliness  and  courtesy  are  perfectly 
consistent  with  a  high  degree  of  professional  skill ; 
and  when  they  had  once  learned  this  lessson,  there 
was  never  afterwards  the  slightest  question  re- 
garding his  success. 

Dr.  Gavin  was  soon  forced  to  arrange  his  work 
according  to  a  schedule,  in  order  to  accomplish 
what  he  had  to  do.  He  invariably  rose  early,  on 
Sundays  attending  six  o'clock  service,  at  which,  as 
he  writes  a  friend,  "  I  read  the  Gospel — and  preach 
to  myself  —  instead  of  going  to  a  late  and  fashion- 
able Mass."  On  week-days  he  generally  read  until 
half-past  seven,  when  he  had  breakfast,  so  that  he 
might  begin  his  round  of  visits  by  eight  o'clock. 
This,  of  course,  compared  with  the  hours  of  most 
physicians,  was  an  exceptionally  early  start,  espe- 
cially for  a  man  who  was  often  called  out  in  the 
evening  and  who,  indeed,  not  infrequently  lost  his 

3i 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

night's  sleep  altogether.  But  the  Doctor  clung 
tenaciously  to  his  schedule,  and  when  a  colleague 
once  asked  him  if  he  did  not  think  such  early  hours 
a  mistake,  since  a  doctor,  with  night  work  to  do, 
must  necessarily  conserve  his  energies,  in  order  to 
be  at  his  best  throughout  the  day,  his  reply  was 
interesting  and  thoroughly  typical. 

If  you  have  ever  been  ill  [he  answered],  you  must 
surely  remember  how  much  it  meant  to  you  to  receive 
an  early  visit  from  the  doctor.  Only  those  who  have 
been  through  the  experience  realize  with  what  eager 
anticipation  an  invalid  looks  forward  to  the  arrival  of 
his  physician. 

This  answer,  indeed,  makes  clear  to  us  Dr. 
Gavin's  whole  attitude  toward  his  patients.  It  was 
their  comfort,  their  welfare,  their  convenience, 
which  was  to  be  considered  above  all.  This  was 
the  keynote  of  all  his  professional  work. 

The  day's  work,  thus  early  begun,  was  busily 
continued.  Two  years  after  commencing  his  private 
practice  he  was  obliged  to  purchase  his  first  horse 
and  buggy  to  cover  his  rounds.  From  that  time, 
as  long  as  he  continued  in  practice,  he  always  had 
a  good  horse  for  his  work.  His  knowledge  and 
judgment  of  horses  were  well  known  to  his  friends, 
and  while,  as  a  good  driver,  he  was  thoughtful  of 
his  horse  when  necessary,  he  nevertheless  required 
one  which  could  hold  to  the  standard  he  set.  He 

32 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

writes,  of  one  which  did  not  survive  this  test :  "  I 
will  sell  him  in  the  spring,  and  buy  a  horse  of  more 
spirit,  as  I  like  one  that  travels  freely,  and  without 
urging."  A  fast  horse  soon  became  a  positive  ne- 
cessity to  the  Doctor,  an  indispensable  cog  in  the 
machinery  of  his  day's  work ;  and  often  in  later 
years,  when  he  did  not  as  a  rule  drive  himself,  if  it 
appeared  that  the  minutes  were  slipping  by  and 
he  might  be  late  at  an  appointment,  he  would  take 
the  reins  and  the  schedule  would  be  maintained. 
He  always  had  a  personal  pride  in  the  appearance 
of  his  horse,  the  buggy  and  harness,  and  everything 
that  was  used  in  connection  with  his  driving. 

When  the  Doctor  was  not  on  service  at  one  of 
the  hospitals  with  which  he  was  connected,  his 
morning  calls  would  usually  last  until  half-past 
twelve,  when  he  would  return  to  his  office  for  a 
light  lunch.  The  number  of  his  daily  calls  fast  in- 
creased, but  his  manner  and  method,  so  typically 
characteristic  of  him,  made  it  possible  for  him  to 
look  after  them.  His  visits  were  always  brief;  spar- 
ing of  speech,  waiting  for  no  idle  gossip,  when  satis- 
fied as  to  the  condition  of  a  particular  sick  person, 
the  next  one  only  was  in  his  mind.  But  while  at 
the  bedside,  the  patient  received  the  most  careful 
observation,  and  the  soundest  advice,  as  well  as  a 
word  of  sympathy  or  understanding  that  "  would 
be  worth  waiting  all  day  to  hear."  Always  cour- 

33 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

teous,  never  appearing  to  be  hurried  or  disturbed, 
Dr.  Gavin  maintained  a  schedule  calling  for  so 
much  work  that  few  men  could  have  continued  to 
live  up  to  it. 

He  was  punctuality  itself.  His  drivers  could  tell 
to  a  nicety  just  how  far  to  let  the  horse  walk  down 
the  street  on  a  cold  day  before  it  was  time  to  turn 
to  meet  the  Doctor  at  the  door ;  and  they  can  re- 
member too  the  look  from  those  clear  gray  eyes 
if  they  had  carelessly  wandered  too  far  and  found 
him  waiting  at  the  curb  on  a  busy  day.  The  times 
of  his  consultations  and  other  appointments  were 
scrupulously  kept.  His  schedule  of  calls  was  ar- 
ranged in  the  morning  with  the  accuracy  and  pre- 
cision of  a  business  man  whose  every  minute 
counts.  His  ability  to  figure  ahead  how  long  he 
would  be  at  certain  places,  and  the  time  of  making 
distances  in  between,  was  little  short  of  marvelous ; 
and  no  matter  how  crowded  a  morning  might  ap- 
pear, and  how  many  calls  were  to  be  made  before 
the  keeping  of  a  certain  important  appointment, 
it  nevertheless  always  happened  that  the  plans 
were  adhered  to,  and  the  place  of  the  appointment 
reached  just  on  time,  or  a  few  minutes  ahead. 

In  his  work  at  the  hospital,  where  promptness 
means  so  much,  not  only  to  the  patients  themselves, 
but  to  the  internes,  the  nurses,  and  in  fact  to  the 
entire  machinery  of  the  institution,  Dr.  Gavin  was 

34 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

always  "on  time";  and  although  the  custom  of 
those  early  days  became  a  habit  later  on,  and  his 
rounds  were  always  made  as  expeditiously  as  possi- 
ble, yet  they  were  made  with  scrupulous  care,  and 
no  patient  was  ever  slighted  or  neglected.  All  were 
shown  the  greatest  consideration  and  were  given 
the  highest  degree  of  medical  skill  and  advice.  His 
private  patients  as  well,  knew  this  quality  and  many 
have  testified,  "When  Dr.  Gavin  said  he  would 
come  at  a  certain  hour,  he  never  failed  to  appear." 

The  number  of  his  daily  calls,  as  related  by  his 
early  drivers,  when  he  accepted  all  the  work  that 
came  to  him,  appears  astonishing,  but  examina- 
tion of  his  books,  at  these  periods,  has  shown  suc- 
cessions of  days  when  thirty  or  more  calls  were 
made,  and  some  days  in  which  the  number  was  over 
forty. 

Promptly  at  one  his  office-hour  began,  and  al- 
though he  attended  to  his  patients  with  the  utmost 
celerity  which  their  cases  allowed,  his  waiting- 
room  was  generally  so  crowded  that  his  duties  there 
were  scarcely  attended  to  by  three  o'clock,  when 
the  office-hour  was  supposed  to  end.  He  would 
then  start  upon  his  rounds  again,  and  usually 
spent  the  time  from  three  to  five  in  making  further 
calls,  while  at  five  or  five-thirty  it  was  his  invari- 
able custom,  for  a  period  of  almost  nine  years,  to 
dine  at  the  Parker  House.  His  keen  observation 

35 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

and  interest  in  all  things  about  him  was  here  put 
to  good  use,  and  he  thus  describes  the  hotel  in  a 
letter  to  a  friend. 

New  York,  as  a  city,  has  many  advantages  over 
Boston;  none  will  gainsay  it.  Yet  there  is  one  thing  she 
has  not  got,  namely,  a  rendezvous  for  the  great  people 
of  our  time.  The  word  great,  is  probably  in  this  case 
wrong,  the  word  notable  being  the  better  word.  We 
have  such  a  place  in  Boston.  The  mixture  one  sees 
there  is  curious.  Judges  forgetting  for  the  nonce  the 
serious  part  they  play  in  the  fulfillment  of  our  social 
laws,  are  to  be  seen  saying  "soft  words"  to  the  French 
flower-girl;  Henry  Ward  Beecher  brushes  past  Anna 
Dickinson  (most  extravagant  of  women  in  the  matter 
of  dress),  who  stands  in  the  doorway  talking  with  an 
actor  of  the  Boston  stage;  next,  a  well-known  poet 
comes  in,  arm  in  arm  with  a  well-known  writer  for  the 
press.  Parsons,  best  of  speakers,  dressed  like  a  fop 
"from  top  to  toe,"  is  talking  across  his  table  to  a  lady 
who  writes  fashion  reports  for  more  than  one  of  the 
Boston  newspapers.  Ridpath,  of  anti-slavery  fame,  is 
in  company  with  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  "woman 
question."  Miss  Kellogg  of  opera  fame,  sits  at  a  small 
table  vis-a-vis  her  mother,  who,  from  all  accounts  takes 
the  best  of  care  of  her  child,  seeing  that  she  does  not 
take  cold  after  singing;  and  so  I  might  go  on  telling 
of  what  one  sees  every  day  at  "Parker's,"  for  this  is 
the  place  I  write  about. 

After  dinner,  the  Doctor  returned  to  his  office  on 
foot,  walking  usually  along  Washington  Street 
and  taking  the  greatest  delight  in  his  stroll.  Quot- 
ing again  from  one  of  his  letters  :  — 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Generally  after  dinner  I  walk  down  our  principal 
street,  looking  at  store  windows  as  I  go  by.  You  will 
say  what  a  way  to  idle  one's  time.  But  it  is  not  wast- 
ing one's  time ;  after  all  we  learn  something,  see  a  book 
that  interests  us,  or  it  may  be  some  labor-  or  time- 
saving  machine,  a  new  style  of  furniture,  or  above  all, 
those  shops  where  prints,  pictures,  and  articles  of 
vertu  are  sold. 

The  Doctor's  evening  office-hour  lasted  from 
seven  until  nine,  after  which,  if  there  were  no  calls 
to  be  attended  to,  he  enjoyed  the  rest  of  his  even- 
ing in  reading,  or  at  the  piano,  or  in  the  company 
of  his  friends. 

When  one  considers  that  in  addition  to  this  rou- 
tine, Dr.  Gavin,  with  his  large  practice,  necessarily 
had  many  cases  which  broke  in  upon  his  night's 
rest,  it  seems  remarkable  that  he  could  do  the 
work  he  did.  Yet  he  had  in  the  first  place  a  splen- 
did constitution,  and  although  never  what  could 
be  called  an  especially  strong  or  robust  man,  his 
regular  habits  and  temperate  tastes,  together  with 
a  disposition,  a  temperament,  so  even,  so  unruffled 
or  disturbed  in  the  face  of  stress,  or  rush,  or  ex- 
citement of  any  kind,  made  it  possible  for  him  to 
perform,  with  apparently  little  fatigue,  an  amount 
of  labor  that  might  well  have  exhausted  other 
men,  of  a  more  excitable  temperament,  or  a  less 
abstemious  life. 

There  are  many  pleasant  memories  connected 
37 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN   GAVIN 

with  this  first  epoch  of  Dr.  Gavin's  professional 
career ;  memories  never  to  be  effaced,  of  such  dear 
friends  as  Bishop  Healy  and  his  brothers,  Father 
Patrick  and  Father  Sherwood  Healy  ;  Father  Blen- 
kinsop,  the  "Father  William "  whose  church  stood 
within  a  few  doors  of  Dr.  Gavin's  office,  and  in 
whose  house  many  pleasant  evenings  were  spent ; 
Monsignor  O'Callaghan;  "Dan"  Barry;  John 
Boyle  O'Reilly,  and  the  early  days  of  the  Papyrus 
Club. 

There  are  memories,  too,  of  many  musical  even- 
ings passed  in  the  little  room  behind  the  Doctor's 
office,  with  Mr.  Grant,  and  John  Farley  and  Tom 
Karl,  whose  music  was  a  true  delight  to  their  hear- 
ers. And  there  were  the  yearly  visits  of  the  opera 
to  Boston,  to  which  Dr.  Gavin  looked  forward 
with  the  greatest  eagerness,  for  his  love  for  music 
was  almost  a  passion  with  him  and  was  equalled 
only  by  his  love  of  flowers  and  nature.  He  gave 
to  his  little  garden  all  the  time  that  he  could  spare, 
and  displayed  unbounded  enthusiasm  in  its  suc- 
cess. It  was  in  these  days  also  that  Dr.  Gavin 
indulged  his  fondness  for  horseback  riding,  and 
many  are  the  references  in  his  letters  to  those 
splendid  rides  in  the  suburbs  of  Boston,  and  the 
ever-present  beauties  of  nature.  Whenever  it  was 
possible,  at  this  time,  he  would  make  his  visits  on 
horseback,  but  sometimes  he  would  have  to  take 

38 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

the  little  colored  boy,  "the  smoked  Irishman," 
who  would  ride  with  him  when  he  drove  on  his 
rounds  and  who  "  would  sit  all  day  without  saying 
a  word."  Thus,  one  after  another  the  years  rolled 
by,  until  in  1876  —  at  the  end  of  almost  a  decade 
—  Dr.  Gavin  found  himself  in  possession  of  a  large 
practice  and  was  looked  upon  as  one  of  the  suc- 
cessful younger  physicians  of  the  day. 


CHAPTER  V 

LATER  PRIVATE  PRACTICE 

So  the  Doctor's  practice  grew  and  flourished, 
and  when,  in  the  spring  of  1876,  he  transferred  his 
office  to  a  new  home  at  No.  99  Broadway  his  friends 
doubtless  supposed  that  the  change  was  merely  to 
meet  the  demands  of  his  work,  which  was  con- 
stantly increasing.  Yet  the  acquisition  of  the  new 
home  was  in  reality  inspired  by  a  motive  altogether 
different ;  for  in  the  fall  of  that  year  occurred  the 
happiest  event  in  the  Doctor's  life,  —  his  marriage 
to  Miss  Ellen  Theresa  Doherty  of  New  York. 

This  union  proved  to  be  an  ideal  one,  and  was 
blessed  by  the  coming  of  a  son,  Basil  Gavin,  and 
of  a  daughter,  Hilda  Theresa  Gavin.  Of  the  Doc- 
tor's home  life,  and  of  the  mutual  devotion  of  the 
entire  family,  all  who  knew  him  speak  with  the 
sincerest  admiration.  As  Miss  Conway  expresses 
it,  "  His  pleasure  was  in  the  society  of  his  family. 
Nothing  could  exceed  his  affectionate  devotion  to 
them.  When  his  children  were  small,  a  disapprov- 
ing glance  from  him  was  a  sufficient  reproof  for  a 
fault,  while  his  commendation  was  their  happiest 
recompense." 

40 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Dr.  Gavin  was  always  busy.  His  days  contained 
no  idle  moments,  and  in  his  years  there  were  no 
wasted  days.  Yet  even  in  a  career  so  uniformly 
arduous,  the  decade  from  1876  to  1886  stands 
prominently  forth  as  a  period  during  which  the 
pressure  of  professional  duties,  of  many  different 
sorts,  taxed  his  strength  and  endurance  to  the 
utmost. 

In  the  first  place,  his  private  practice  by  this 
time  was  very  large.  His  reputation  as  a  kind  and 
skillful  practitioner  was  already  great,  and  when  a 
patient  had  once  called  upon  him  for  aid  there  was 
never  afterward  any  question  of  "  changing  doc- 
tors." As  a  result  there  are  many  persons  in  South 
Boston  to-day  whom  Dr.  Gavin  attended  regularly 
for  twenty,  thirty,  forty,  and  in  some  instances  for 
almost  fifty  years. 

Various  reasons  combined  to  create  this  con- 
tinued demand  for  Dr.  Gavin's  services.  He  pos- 
sessed great  natural  gifts  as  a  diagnostician,  and 
through  his  wide  experience  as  a  general  practi- 
tioner, this  faculty  became  so  sharpened  and  devel- 
oped that  he  was  able  to  determine,  with  remark- 
able accuracy,  just  what  was  wrong  with  a  patient's 
health.  In  similar  fashion,  in  cases  of  serious  illness, 
he  was  justly  celebrated  for  his  ability  to  predict 
correctly  regarding  the  invalid's  chances  of  recov- 
ery.   A  distinguished  colleague  of  the  Doctor  has 

41 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

thus  expressed  himself :  "  There  is  a  narrow  bound- 
ary line  which  separates  the  kingdom  of  life  from 
the  kingdom  of  death,  and  Dr.  Gavin  was  always 
an  adept  in  knowing  on  which  side  of  that  line  his 
patient  stood." 

Many  instances  could  be  cited  to  attest  to  this 
great  gift.  In  one  case,  which  occurred  only  a  few 
years  before  Dr.  Gavin's  death,  a  fellow  practitioner 
had  almost  abandoned  hope  of  a  patient's  recovery, 
and  had  practically  decided  upon  a  critical  opera- 
tion, when  the  family  asked  that  he  summon  Dr. 
Gavin  in  consultation.  The  Doctor,  although  in  poor 
health  himself,  examined  the  invalid,  and  then  with 
characteristic  mildness  dissented  from  the  opinion 
of  the  other  surgeon.  "  I  hardly  think,"  he  observed, 
"  that  we  should  operate.  In  fact,  I  shall  be  con- 
siderably surprised  if  by  to-night  the  patient  is  not 
feeling  appreciably  better.  I  will  call  again  this 
evening."  After  Dr.  Gavin's  departure,  however, 
the  younger  man  expressed  doubts  as  to  the  cor- 
rectness of  his  colleague's  advice,  suggesting  that 
the  condition  of  his  health  at  that  time  might  in 
some  degree  impair  his  judgment,  and  strongly 
urging  an  operation,  as  being  immediately  neces- 
sary that  day,  if  the  life  of  the  patient  was  to  be 
considered. 

But  the  family  had  called  on  Dr.  Gavin  in  their 
troubles  for  many  years,  his  advice  had  always  been 

42 


DR.    GAVIN   AT  THE  TIME   OF   HIS 
MARRIAGE   IN    1876 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN   GAVIN 

scrupulously  followed,  and  there  had  been  no 
regrets;  and  so,  after  most  serious  consideration 
by  the  whole  family,  the  attending  surgeon  was 
informed  that  it  had  been  decided  unanimously 
that  Dr.  Gavin's  advice  should  be  followed,  even 
in  his  old  age  and  ill  health,  and  that  no  operation 
was  to  be  performed.  And  when  Dr.  Gavin  made  his 
second  visit  that  evening,  the  patient  gave  his  own 
proof  of  the  correctness  of  the  diagnosis,  and  per- 
haps surprised  even  Dr.  Gavin  himself,  by  open- 
ing the  door  to  welcome  him.  And  the  recovery 
was  as  permanent  as  it  was  speedy. 

Consultation  took  a  prominent  place  in  Dr.  Gav- 
in's professional  work,  especially  in  his  later  years. 
The  demand  for  his  services  in  this  particular  branch 
of  work,  can  be  accounted  for,  first,  by  his  established 
fame  as  a  diagnostician,  and  then,  by  the  courtesy 
and  thoughtfulness  which  he  invariably  displayed 
toward  fellow  practitioners  who  came  to  him  for  an 
opinion  in  doubtful  cases. 

But  the  Doctor's  attainments  were  not  limited  to 
an  ability  to  interpret  correctly  the  symptoms  of  his 
patients.  He  was  able  to  locate  their  ailments,  but 
he  was  able,  also,  to  cure  them.  In  surgical  cases 
his  cool  head  and  steady  hand  accomplished  won- 
ders ;  while  as  a  physician  the  treatments  which  he 
prescribed  seldom  failed  in  accomplishing  their 
aim.  His  prescriptions  proved  especially  effective 

43 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

in  producing  beneficial  results,  so  that  the  fame  of 
many  of  them  spread  far,  and  orders  for  them  were 
not  infrequently  received  from  distant  points,  or 
from  patients  who  had  left  the  city,  and  felt  that 
they  had  not  found  so  good  a  prescription  else- 
where. Even  as  these  chapters  are  written  a  request 
has  come  to  the  drug  store  to  which  Dr.  Gavin  was 
wont  to  recommend  his  patients,  for  the  renewal 
of  one  of  his  prescriptions  which  was  first  written 
twenty-five  years  before.  His  prescriptions  were 
always  varied  and  modern,  at  the  time  they  were 
written,  —  in  fact,  they  were  in  advance  of  the  times, 
for  his  foreign  studies,  and  his  constant  correspond- 
ence with  friends  abroad,  as  well  as  his  subscription 
to  foreign  medical  journals  at  a  time  when  they  were 
rarer  in  this  country  than  at  present,  kept  him  not 
only  abreast  but  ahead  of  his  profession,  and  his 
druggist  has  said  that  invariably  the  first  order 
that  he  would  receive  for  some  new  and  efficacious 
compound  would  be  from  Dr.  Gavin. 

Dr.  Gavin  was  thoroughly  conscientious,  and  to 
a  difficult  problem  would  give  unsparingly  of  the 
best  that  was  in  him,  spending  anxious  days  and 
sleepless  nights  in  his  efforts  to  effect  a  cure.  More 
than  once  he  has  remarked  while  driving  to  the 
hospital  in  the  morning,  "  I  hardly  slept  an  hour 
last  night,  Patrick,  thinking  over  an  operation  I 
have  to  do  to-day."  Or  again,  if  some  unusual 

44 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

complication  arose  in  a  case,  he  would  spare  no 
pains  to  discover  anything  that  he  might  learn  re- 
garding it.  "  I  have  looked  up  everything  I  could 
find  about  such  complaints,"  he  writes  to  a  profes- 
sional friend.  The  story,  indeed,  is  told  in  South 
Boston  to  this  day  of  one  of  his  early  cases,  where, 
even  against  his  better  judgment,  he  fought  a  val- 
iant battle  to  save  a  patient's  life.  A  young  man 
working  in  a  provision  store  had  given  his  knee  a 
severe  gash  with  a  meat-axe.  Dr.  Gavin  was  called, 
and  dressed  the  wound,  but  at  the  end  of  a  week 
the  progress  of  the  injury  was  far  from  satisfactory 
and  it  appeared  to  Dr.  Gavin  that  amputation 
would  be  necessary.  To  verify  his  fears,  he  called 
in  consultation  three  eminent  surgeons  of  Boston, 
and  they  unhesitatingly  agreed  with  him  that  if 
the  patient's  life  were  to  be  saved,  immediate  am- 
putation was  the  proper  course  to  pursue.  But  now 
arose  an  obstacle.  This  was  in  the  early  days  of 
surgery  ;  the  family  of  the  young  man  regarded  the 
idea  of  amputation  with  horror ;  and  after  a  solemn 
conference  they  announced  to  Dr.  Gavin  their  de- 
cision. He  was  to  do  his  utmost  by  medical  treat- 
ment to  save  the  young  man's  life,  and  since  the 
family  were  acting  directly  contrary  to  his  advice, 
no  blame  in  any  event  was  to  be  attached  to  Dr. 
Gavin.  If  the  young  man  lived,  so  much  the  better; 
but  if  he  was  to  die,  he  was  to  die  with  his  leg  on. 

45 


MICHAEL   FREEBERN   GAVIN 

This  was  their  ultimatum ;  no  persuasion,  no  reason- 
ing would  change  them,  and  accordingly  the  Doc- 
tor took  up  the  struggle  to  save  both  life  and  limb. 
He  spent  numberless  hours  at  the  young  man's 
bedside ;  on  at  least  one  occasion  he  was  there 
from  nightfall  until  dawn ;  and  finally,  after  almost 
a  month  of  unremitting  effort,  during  which  he 
had  brought  into  play  all  the  resources  of  his  skill, 
the  turning-point  was  reached,  and  recovery  be- 
gan, to  result  finally,  in  the  full  realization  of  the 
family's  hopes. 

Such,  then,  was  Dr.  Gavin's  ability  in  the  many 
sides  of  his  profession.  Yet,  great  as  it  was,  it  only 
partially  accounted  for  his  extraordinary  popu- 
larity. For,  beyond  his  gifts  as  a  surgeon  and 
physician,  he  possessed  those  sterling  qualities, 
so  peculiarly  his  own  ;  a  real  kindness,  a  true  sym- 
pathy, and  his  own  spirit  of  regarding  his  patients 
not  as  so  many  medical  or  surgical  "cases  "  but  as 
his  personal  and  particular  care,  whose  welfare  was 
almost  his  own. 

It  is  impossible  for  any  one  who  did  not  know 
Dr.  Gavin  to  understand  the  position  he  occupied 
among  those  whom  he  attended.  They  regarded 
him  with  a  love  and  honor,  and  almost  a  veneration, 
that  is  given  to  but  few  men.  His  word  was  law ; 
but  this  status  he  won,  not  through  any  harsh 
methods,  but  through  his  genuine,  sincere  interest 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

in  the  welfare  of  those  whom  he  undertook  to 
help. 

There  is  a  story  of  a  certain  clergyman  who 
once  said  that  he  owed  his  very  great  influence 
among  his  parishioners  to  the  fact  that  he  never 
said,  "You  must  do  this,"  or  " You  must  do  that," 
but  always,  "We  must  do  this  or  that."  This  in 
effect,  was  the  method  Dr.  Gavin  used  in  dealing 
with  his  patients ;  and  while  this  desire  to  work  in 
harmony,  this  instinct  for  cooperation,  and  coordi- 
nation, for  making  allies  and  not  enemies  of  his 
fellow  men,  was  so  characteristic  of  him  that  it  is 
noticeable  in  every  department  of  his  life,  yet  no- 
where is  it  displayed  to  better  advantage  than  in 
this  intercourse  with  those  whose  sufferings  he 
was  called  upon  to  allay. 

In  my  family  [says  a  patient  who  knew  the  Doctor 
for  fifty  years]  he  was  regarded  by  all  of  us,  children 
and  grown-ups  alike,  almost  as  a  father.  When  he 
entered  the  house,  in  time  of  sickness,  we  placed  our- 
selves unreservedly  in  his  hands.  Whatever  he  told 
us  to  do,  that  we  did,  in  the  full  confidence  that  he 
would  not  be  mistaken;  and  he  never  was.  At  least  one 
of  my  children  owes  his  life,  to-day,  to  a  long  and  des- 
perate vigil  when  Dr.  Gavin  fought  all  night  to  rescue 
him  from  the  clutches  of  membranous  croup;  and  at 
last,  in  the  gray  light  of  the  morning,  he  was  able  to 
turn  to  us,  haggard  and  weary,  but  triumphant,  to  tell 
us  that  the  child  was  out  of  danger,  and  that  his  life 
was  saved. 

47 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Among  many  scenes  of  sorrow  and  suffering,  in 
those  busy  days,  humorous  occurrences  were  not 
lacking.  On  one  occasion,  in  the  midst  of  a  busy 
office-hour,  a  distracted  mother  appeared,  implor- 
ing the  Doctor  to  come  at  once  to  her  home,  as 
her  only  boy  was  "  awful  sick."  Dr.  Gavin  asked 
her  a  question  or  two,  pacified  her,  and  told  her 
that  he  would  come  as  soon  as  his  office-hour  was 
ended.  Arriving  at  the  house,  he  found  the  invalid, 
and  after  a  brief  examination  turned  to  depart,  as- 
suring the  mother  that  the  boy  would  get  well. 
"  But,  Doctor,  you  're  leaving  without  giving  any 
prescription  ! "  the  good  woman  cried.  Dr.  Gavin 
paused  ;  then  answered,  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  — 

Sure  enough,  I  was  going  to  forget  the  prescription, 
but  I  '11  give  it  to  you  now,  since  you  ask  for  it.  Here 
it  is:  One  stout  strap,  to  be  applied  vigorously,  in  the 
usual  place.  That,  I  think,  should  effect  a  much 
needed  cure,  for  your  boy  has  only  been  smoking  his 
first  pipe. 

On  another  occasion,  a  patient  entered  Dr 
Gavin's  office  displaying  a  curious  swelling  on 
his  wrist.  The  Doctor  examined  the  injury  a  mo- 
ment and  then  said,  "  Sit  down,  and  rest  your 
wrist  on  my  desk,  while  I  see  what  we  can  find 
about  the  subject."  The  patient  obeyed,  and  the 
Doctor  reached  for  a  massive  volume  from  his 
shelf  above,  the  size  of  which  alone  comforted  the 

48 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

patient  at  once,  for  it  seemed  to  him  that  in  a  book 
of  such  proportions,  the  Doctor  could  surely  find 
a  remedy  for  the  swollen  wrist.  But  the  remedy 
was  even  nearer  at  hand  than  he  supposed,  for 
suddenly,  and  without  warning,  the  Doctor  brought 
down  the  volume  on  the  wrist,  and  after  one  in- 
voluntary cry,  the  patient  stared,  astounded  to  find 
that  the  swelling  had  disappeared,  never  to  return. 
There  was  one  patient  at  least  who  took  his  leave 
imbued  with  great  respect  for  a  doctor  who  could 
cure,  not  only  by  the  inside  of  the  book,  but  by 
the  outside  as  well. 

Story  after  story  might  be  repeated  to  show  the 
love  and  veneration  with  which  Dr.  Gavin  was  re- 
garded, but  one  of  the  prettiest  of  these  concerns 
a  little  boy  of  six,  who  had  been  ill,  but  who  had 
improved  so  rapidly  under  the  Doctor's  care  that 
he  had  come  to  share  the  admiration  which  his 
whole  family  felt  toward  him.  During  his  period 
of  convalescence,  this  small  boy  was  one  day  play- 
ing about  the  house,  snapping  the  whip  over  a 
team  of  imaginary  horses  with  such  vigor  that  his 
mother  felt  called  upon  to  caution  him.  "  You  must 
be  careful,  dear,"  she  said.  "  If  you  should  put  out 
one  of  your  eyes,  nobody  could  ever  give  you  an- 
other." At  which  the  boy  stopped  playing  for  a 
moment  and  then  rejoined,  with  conviction,  "  Oh 
yes,  mother ;  Dr.  Gavin  could." 

49 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Thus  it  is  apparent  that  the  Doctor  had  a  prac- 
tice in  South  Boston  alone  quite  large  enough  to 
satisfy  a  less  active  and  energetic  man.  Yet  this 
practice  comprised  by  no  means  the  whole  of  his 
activities.  His  reputation  had  spread,  and  he  was 
called,  not  only  through  other  parts  of  Boston  and 
its  suburbs,  but  also  to  near-by  towns  and  occa- 
sionally to  more  distant  points  throughout  the 
New  England  States.  He  had,  moreover,  made 
many  friends  among  the  younger  doctors  with 
whom  he  had  come  in  contact  in  his  work  at  the 
hospitals,  and  many  of  these  young  men,  starting 
in  practice  for  themselves,  were  glad,  in  difficult 
cases,  to  call  upon  an  older  colleague  whose  friend- 
ship they  valued,  and  for  whose  professional  skill 
they  had  the  highest  regard.  As  one  of  them,  look- 
ing back  on  this  period  of  his  life  has  expressed 
it,— 

I  could  when  beginning  practice,  set  an  arm  or  a  leg 
in  theory,  or  upon  an  examination  paper,  as  neatly  as 
the  best  surgeon  in  the  world ;  but  when  the  actual  arm 
or  leg  lay  bodily  before  me  I  was  only  too  glad  to  sum- 
mon Dr.  Gavin,  so  that  his  practical  knowledge  might 
supplement  my  theories  as  to  how  the  work  might 
best  be  done. 

From  those  who  were  devoting  their  lives  to  the 
service  of  religion,  Dr.  Gavin  would  never  accept 
any  remuneration  for  his  attendance.  Thus  vari- 
ous communities  of  the  convents  of  Notre  Dame 

50 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN   GAVIN 

in  Roxbury,  and  later  in  South  Boston,  and  those 
of  the  Sacred  Heart,  hold  Dr.  Gavin  in  their  memo- 
ries with  a  regard  and  an  esteem  beyond  the  power 
of  the  written  word.  On  one  occasion,  where  a 
Sister  of  Notre  Dame  knew  that  an  illness  in  the 
convent  must  have  been  an  expensive  one,  she 
tried  to  prevail  upon  the  Doctor  to  accept  some 
compensation  for  all  that  he  had  done.  His  reply 
was :  — 

You  and  yours  are  spending  your  lives  in  the  service 
of  the  poor,  the  sick,  the  needy,  and  the  afflicted.  If 
any  small  skill  of  mine  can  ever  aid  you,  it  is  yours,  at 
any  hour  of  the  day  or  night.  Never  speak  of  my 
"kindness"  in  seeking  to  help  you;  my  "privilege"  is 
the  proper  phrase. 

In  similar  fashion,  a  member  of  the  Convent  of 
the  Sacred  Heart  says  of  Dr.  Gavin :  — 

He  was  noted  for  his  universal  charity,  which  ex- 
tended to  all  classes  and  creeds,  and  which  for  many 
years  was  bestowed  upon  a  great  number  of  religious 
institutions  and  charitable  homes.  His  administra- 
tions were  accompanied  by  a  gracious  delicacy  in  send- 
ing medicines,  and  all  that  could  nourish  his  patients 
and  restore  them  to  health.  Lovingly  do  we  recall  the 
attentions  paid  to  our  own  religious  order,  and  remem- 
ber how,  on  one  occasion,  when  the  Doctor  had  made 
his  last  call  for  the  day  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
he  later  became  anxious,  and  returned  at  eleven  o'clock 
to  ascertain  the  patient's  condition.  Throughout  all 
New  England,  the  suffering  poor  give  testimony  of 

51 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

his  charity,  and  of  his  noble  devotion  to  the  welfare 
of  mankind. 

Thus  were  laid  the  foundations  of  the  respect  and 
love  which  Dr.  Gavin  everywhere  commanded. 
His  professional  skill  was  firmly  established,  re- 
garded as  highly  by  his  fellow  practitioners  as  by 
his  patients  and  friends,  but  the  esteem  in  which 
he  was  held  was  not  only  due  to  his  skill,  but  was 
also  the  result  of  his  own  individual  personality. 

The  term  personal  magnetism  is  often  misapplied 
as  a  quality,  but  it  must  have  been  a  very  distinct, 
strong  personal  magnetism,  that  inspired  people 
to  feel  the  confidence  which  they  placed  in  Dr. 
Gavin,  and  to  give  him  the  love  that  they  did. 
Few  physicians,  and  fewer  men  in  other  walks  of 
life,  gained  such  love  and  confidence.  His  hold 
on  people  was  strong  and  lasting,  because  it  was 
an  absolutely  natural  hold,  unaffected,  without  a 
thought  of  design,  and  based  on  sincerity.  People 
who  knew  Dr.  Gavin  came  to  him  with  hope  and 
confidence  as  a  physician  and  as  a  friend,  because 
they  knew  that  he  had  that  sincerity,  and  because 
they  were  sure  of  his  sympathy  and  understanding 
if  their  cause  was  just  and  right.  With  his  clear 
perception  he  at  once  distinguished  between  true 
and  false,  and  would  not  even  listen,  should  the 
story  be  a  lie ;  but  if  the  trouble  was  real,  people 
went  to  him,  as  a  wise  counselor  and  a  kind  friend, 

52 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

and  the  mere  fact  of  such  a  listener  was  an  encour- 
agement and  an  inspiration.  Not  that  he  had  time 
to  listen  to  many  long  narratives  of  misfortune,  or 
that  he  would  give  undiscriminatingly  of  his  means 
with  a  politic  generosity,  — for  his  charity  was  only 
on  rare  occasions  of  the  easy  check-book  nature, 
—  but  rather  that  his  broad  experience  and  his  mag- 
netic understanding  enabled  him  to  comprehend 
and  to  sympathize,  and  to  offer  just  the  advice 
and  comfort  which  were  craved  and  sought  for. 
He  was  a  man  to  be  turned  to  instinctively  in  time 
of  trouble  as  a  wise  and  just  adviser. 

Perhaps  many  who  thus  relied  on  him  did  not 
really  understand  the  full  breadth  of  Dr.  Gavin's 
character,  his  aims  and  ideals,  but  they  were  con- 
scious of  the  flowing  kindness  of  his  nature,  and 
needing  sympathy,  they  sought  it  out,  and  willingly 
allowed  themselves  to  be  carried  along  in  its  com- 
forting influence.  Is  it  strange  that  such  a  charac- 
ter turned  naturally,  instinctively,  to  the  calling  of 
medicine  for  its  life  work? 


CHAPTER  VI 

BOSTON   CITY  HOSPITAL 

Dr.  GAVIN'S  connection  with  the  Boston  City 
Hospital  was  an  unusually  varied  one.  As  has  been 
noted,  he  served  as  house  officer  in  1864  and  1865, 
and  in  1867,  after  his  return  from  abroad,  he  again 
became  a  member  of  the  Hospital  staff.  This  time 
his  rise  in  rank  was  a  rapid  one.  In  February,  1867, 
one  month  after  he  had  established  himself  in  prac- 
tice in  Boston,  he  received  the  appointment  of  oph- 
thalmic externe  for  one  year;  but  in  the  April 
following,  he  was  made  Assistant  Surgeon  to  Out- 
Patients,  and  in  March  1868  was  chosen  Surgeon 
to  Out-Patients,  which  position  he  held  until  1872. 
The  work  of  this  department  since  the  opening  of 
the  Hospital  had  greatly  increased,  as  is  evidenced 
by  the  appended  quotation.1 

The  writer  cannot  remember  the  time  when  more 
room  was  not  desirable.  At  times  it  has  been  abso- 
lutely necessary  to  put  beds  in  the  venter  of  the  wards 
and  even  into  the  corridors.  Over-crowding  was  for- 
merly thought  to  account  for  some  of  the  unfavorable 
results  of  treatment.  It  certainly  was  not  conducive 
to  the  desirable  hygienic  conditions. 

1  Reminiscences  of  the  Boston  City  Hospital:  Dr.  George  W. 
Gay. 

54 


HOUSE    OFFICERS   OF   THE    BOSTON   CITY   HOSPITAL    IN    iS 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

The  following  extract  from  the  Trustees'  report 
dated  April  30,  1871,  is  typical  of  the  state  of  affairs 
at  this  time:  — 

"As  the  business  of  this  branch  of  the  Hospital  is 
rapidly  increasing,  we  would  respectfully  call  your 
attention  to  our  need  of  more  room.  We  often  have 
from  forty  to  fifty  patients  daily,  and  our  present 
quarters  are  much  too  limited  for  their  occupation. 

"  M.  F.  Gavin,  M.D. 

"  Geo.  W.  Gay,  M.D. 

"  Surgeons  to  Out-Patients. " 

From  1872  to  1879  Dr.  Gavin  was  not  connected 
with  the  City  Hospital,  but  in  the  latter  year  he 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees, where  he  served  until  1885,  and,  in  the  words 
of  one  of  his  contemporaries,  "attended  to  his  du- 
ties in  the  most  faithful  and  conscientious  manner 
imaginable,  and  rendered  valuable  aid  to  his  fellow 
members  of  the  Board  through  his  ability  to  regard 
the  problems  put  before  him  from  the  view-point 
of  an  honorable,  intelligent,  and  broad-minded 
physician." 

The  following  letter  shows  the  esteem  in  which 
Dr.  Gavin  was  held  by  his  fellow  members  of  the 
Board :  — 

City  Hospital,  Boston,  Jan.  12,  1885. 
M.  F.  Gavin,  M.D. 

My  dear  Sir:  — At  the  last  meeting  of  the  Trus- 
tees of  the  City  Hospital,  you  were  unanimously 
elected  a  Surgeon  of  Out-Patients. 

55 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Your  resignation  as  a  Trustee  was  announced  and  it 
was  voted,  "That  the  secretary  express  to  Dr.  Gavin 
the  great  regret  which  the  Trustees  personally  feel  in 
losing  his  very  kindly  and  valuable  assistance,  and 
their  high  appreciation  of  the  very  faithful,  assiduous, 
and  efficient  service  which  he  has  for  many  years,  ren- 
dered the  Hospital." 

I  need  not,  I  am  sure,  further  express  to  you  the 
pleasure  which  I  have  experienced  in  our  relations  as 
Trustees,  and  my  obligations  for  your  many  acts  of 
courtesy  and  kindness. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Henry  H.  Sprague. 

(Sec.) 

In  1886,  the  year  after  his  appointment,  there 
came  a  change  in  Dr.  Gavin's  activities,  and,  while 
his  professional  responsibilities  were  still  further  in- 
creased, yet  the  burden  of  actual  labor  was  to  some 
extent  lightened.  Two  things  caused  this  change ; 
an  appointment  and  an  illness.  The  appointment, 
a  well-deserved  tribute  to  the  Doctor's  skill,  was 
that  of  Visiting  Surgeon  to  the  Boston  City  Hos- 
pital. This  of  course  meant  more  work  of  an  im- 
portant and  arduous  nature,  and  if  Dr.  Gavin  had 
remained  in  good  health  at  this  time,  and  taken  up 
this  additional  burden  to  add  to  the  amount  he  was 
already  doing,  it  might  have  been  that  the  strain 
would  soon  have  proved  too  much  for  any  one 
man  to  carry.  As  it  happened,  however,  he  experi- 
enced at  this  time  the  first  severe  illness  of  his  life, 

56 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

— an  intimation,  possibly,  from  Nature  herself,  to 
remind  him  that  no  man,  however  strong,  is  more 
than  human,  and  that  in  his  zeal  for  his  work  he 
had  already  been  drawing  too  freely  upon  his  re- 
serves of  energy  and  strength. 

So,  after  he  had  passed  through  a  serious  sick- 
ness, upon  his  recovery  he  wisely  decided  to  treat 
himself  with  more  consideration  by  establishing  a 
custom  of  taking  a  week's  vacation  every  spring 
and  fall,  and  by  abandoning  most  of  the  work  which 
had  called  him  out  at  night.  Thus  he  was  able,  in 
some  degree,  to  lessen  the  strain  under  which  he 
had  been  laboring.  With  this  readjustment  of  his 
professional  schedule  he  entered  afresh  upon  an- 
other period  of  his  career,  which  was  destined  to 
last  for  twenty  busy  years,  during  which  he  worked 
with  unflagging  vigor  and  undiminished  skill. 

A  special  interest  attaches  to  the  Doctor's  ap- 
pointment as  Visiting  Surgeon  to  the  Boston  City 
Hospital,  for  his  connection  with  that  institution  is 
probably  absolutely  unique.  Beginning  with  his 
year  of  service  as  House  Surgeon  in  1864,  at  the 
time  of  the  opening  of  the  Hospital,  he  was  later, 
as  has  been  noted,  Surgeon  to  Out-Patients  in  1867, 
1868,  1869,  1870  and  1 871;  and  after  an  interval 
was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  and 
served  six  years,  from  1879  to  1884,  inclusive.  Yet 
all  these  years  added  together  comprise  but  a  por- 

57 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

tion  of  the  time  during  which  he  was  connected 
with  the  Hospital,  for  in  1885  he  was  again  Sur- 
geon to  Out-Patients ;  from  1886  to  1896  he  was 
Visiting  Surgeon;  in  1897,  when  the  distinction 
was  first  made  between  Senior  and  Junior  Visiting 
Surgeons,  he  was  rated  as  Junior  Visiting  Surgeon, 
and  again  held  that  position  in  1898;  while  from 
1899  to  1906  he  was  Senior  Visiting  Surgeon,  and 
from  1907  until  his  death  in  1915  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  Consulting  Physicians  and 
Surgeons.  Altogether,  a  record  of  over  fifty  years 
of  service,  practically  continuous,  in  an  institution 
justly  famed  for  the  high  character  and  ability  of 
its  personnel. 

In  addition  to  these  permanent  appointments,  he 
also  served  the  hospital  in  many  other  ways  —  as 
member,  or  chairman,  of  various  committees  from 
time  to  time ;  and  for  many  years  as  one  of  the 
Examining  Board. 

Although  Dr.  Gavin's  private  practice  gave  him 
many  opportunities  for  surgical  work,  it  was,  nec- 
essarily, at  the  hospitals  that  his  skill  as  a  sur- 
geon was  brought  most  into  evidence.  Here,  there 
were  larger  opportunities  than  in  private  practice, 
and  in  every  branch  of  surgery,  with  resources  at 
hand  for  individual  endeavor.  Although  surgery 
was  always  subordinate  in  Dr.  Gavin's  mind  to  the 
matter  of  getting  the  patient  better,  as  will  be  seen 

58 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

later,  nevertheless  as  chief  of  his  surgical  staff  in 
the  Boston  City  Hospital,  many  operations  were 
necessary  almost  daily,  and  here  unquestionably 
was  presented  the  best  test  of  Dr.  Gavin's  surgical 
skill.  Always  cool,  quiet,  apparently  unhurried, 
but  still  completing  his  work  with  the  greatest  pos- 
sible celerity,  and  affecting  no  unnecessary  effort, 
he  performed  his  operations  with  a  knowledge,  a 
precision,  and  a  thoroughness  that  made  it  a  pro- 
fessional pleasure  to  watch  him.  He  knew  abso- 
lutely clearly  in  his  own  mind  just  exactly  what 
was  to  be  done,  and  his  experience  told  him  just 
how  to  do  it ;  and  should  the  unexpected  happen, 
he  never  for  a  moment  lost  the  calm  poise  of  his 
manner,  and  did  precisely  the  right  thing  that  was 
necessary. 

Many  and  great  were  the  changes  which  the 
Doctor  witnessed  during  his  long  period  of  con- 
nection with  the  Hospital.  He  saw  the  number  of 
hospital  buildings  increase  from  four  to  forty-six  ; 
the  number  of  hospital  beds  from  208  to  1061.  He 
saw  800  patients  treated  in  1864,  and  saw  that 
number  increased  in  19 14  to  116,729.  He  saw  the 
original  medical  and  surgical  staff  of  21  members 
gradually  expand  until  it  numbered  103. 

Nor  was  this  all ;  for  he  was  privileged  to  live 
through  that  great  period  in  the  medical  world 
when  discoveries  of  the  most  sweeping  character 

59 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

magnificently  enlarged  the  boundaries  of  our 
knowledge,  and  completely  revolutionized  the 
treatment  of  disease.  What  some  of  these  discov- 
eries were,  we  may  learn  from  the  address  deliv- 
ered by  the  Honorable  A.  Shuman,  President  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees,  at  the  Fiftieth  Anniversary 
of  the  Boston  City  Hospital,  on  June  20,  1914. 

Let  us  glance  [said  President  Shuman]  at  some  of 
the  achievements  of  the  Hospital  during  this  half  cen- 
tury. Chief  among  them,  it  seems  to  me,  has  been  the 
triumph  over  the  dread  scourge  of  pyaemia  and  sepsis. 
The  present  generation  has  little  knowledge  of  the  hor- 
rors and  dangers  that  attended  the  surgery  of  those 
early  days.  Our  hearts  should  be  filled  with  gratitude 
to  those  who  by  their  labors  and  researches  have  made 
possible  the  present  happy  conditions. 

In  later  years  the  discovery  of  the  X-ray  and  the 
use  of  radium  have  opened  up  unlimited  possibilities 
for  good.  Wonderful  results  in  the  treatment  of  sur- 
face cancer,  in  the  early  diagnosis  of  pulmonary  tuber- 
culosis, the  more  exact  knowledge  of  fractures  and 
diseases  of  the  bones,  and  in  the  location  of  foreign 
bodies,  have  been  attained  by  these  agencies.  .  .  . 

The  great  good  accomplished  by  the  South  De- 
partment must  not  be  overlooked.  Opened  in  1895, 
it  was  the  first  separate  hospital  in  this  country  for  the 
care  and  treatment  of  infectious  diseases.  A  volume 
could  be  written  and  still  not  do  justice  to  the  noble 
work  that  has  been  done  by  this  department  in  the 
saving  of  human  life  and  the  relief  of  suffering,  as  well 
as  the  prevention  and  control  of  epidemics  of  scarlet 
fever,  diphtheria,  and  measles  in  our  city  and  com- 
munity. .  .  . 

60 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Fifty  years  ago,  there  was  no  ambulance  station. 
Patients  came  to  the  hospital  in  hacks  or  carriages. 
The  Hospital  now  has  four  auto-ambulances  for  the 
main  Hospital  and  three  horse-ambulances  for  the  use 
of  the  relief  stations. 

The  two  relief  stations  are  of  great  benefit  to  the 
citizens  of  Boston  in  the  rendering  of  prompt  and 
efficient  aid  in  emergency  cases ;  while  the  Convalescent 
Home  is  a  boon  for  the  women  who  are  considered 
well  enough  to  be  discharged  from  the  hospital,  and 
yet  who,  through  lack  of  proper  home  surroundings, 
need  care  and  comfort  in  their  convalescence. 

Such  were  the  changes  of  fifty  years,  and  it 
seems  most  appropriate  that  Dr.  Gavin  should 
have  been  able  to  witness  them,  since  his  keenest 
professional  delight  was  in  watching  the  steady 
progress  of  medical  knowledge,  and  the  develop- 
ment of  new  appliances  which  were  to  aid  his  col- 
leagues and  himself  in  their  steadfast  fight  against 
suffering,  disease,  and  death. 

Dr.  Gavin's  long  connection  with  the  City  Hos- 
pital, and  the  effort  and  time  which  he  gave  so 
unsparingly  and  loyally  to  it,  formed  a  large  part 
of  his  life's  work.  His  heart  and  soul  were  always 
with  his  work  for  the  institution.  He  loved  his 
work  there ;  it  meant  more  to  him  than  he  ever 
said,  and  his  loyalty  to  it  and  enthusiasm  for  it 
continued  throughout  his  life.  On  many  occasions 
in  later  years,  his  friends  and  even  his  family  made 
the  suggestion  that,  chiefly  to  conserve  his  own 

61 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

strength  and  energy,  he  should  give  up  his  work 
at  the  Hospital ;  but  it  can  truthfully  be  said  that 
he  loved  the  connection  so  well,  that  at  no  time 
would  he  even  consider  so  doing. 

The  success  of  the  Boston  City  Hospital  has  been 
due,  in  a  great  measure,  to  the  loyalty  and  enthu- 
siasm of  its  staff  and  associates.  And  it  is  doubt- 
ful if  it  has  ever  had  any  man  on  its  staff  who  gave 
for  its  good  purposes  more  loyally  and  more  en- 
thusiastically of  his  best  energy  and  skill,  and  who 
was  more  happy  in  doing  so,  than  Dr.  Gavin. 


CHAPTER  VII 

OTHER  PROFESSIONAL  ASSOCIATIONS.   WRITINGS 

ALTHOUGH  Dr.  Gavin  carried  upon  his  shoul- 
ders a  heavy  burden  of  professional  cares  in  his 
own  large  practice,  and  with  his  work  for  the  Bos- 
ton City  Hospital,  he  nevertheless  found  time  for 
still  other  professional  activities.  Chief  among 
these,  perhaps,  was  his  connection  with  the  Car- 
ney Hospital. 

Dr.  Gavin  accepted  an  appointment  as  surgeon 
to  the  Carney  Hospital  in  1880,  and  served  for 
twenty-three  years,  until  1903,  when  the  system  of 
continuous  service  went  into  effect ;  in  that  year  he 
became  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Consultation, 
and  retained  that  position  until  the  time  of  his 
death,  twelve  years  later.  As  thirty-five  years  is  a 
long  time  to  remain  connected  with  one  institution, 
and  as  his  work  at  the  Carney  played  such  a  large 
part  in  Dr.  Gavin's  life,  it  may  be  of  interest  to 
give,  briefly,  the  history  of  the  institution. 

The  Carney  Hospital  was  founded  by  Andrew 
Carney,  who,  as  a  young  man,  came  from  Ireland 
to  America  and  was  successful  in  business.  Mr. 
Carney  was  a  man  of  kindly  and  charitable  nature, 

63 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

and  perceiving-  the  need  of  a  hospital  in  South 
Boston,  he  purchased  in  1863  the  Howe  residence, 
situated  on  Old  Harbor  Street  on  Dorchester 
Heights,  and  gave  the  property,  together  with  its 
surrounding  lawns  and  orchards,  to  the  Sisters  of 
Charity  of  Saint  Vincent  de  Paul.  The  building, 
under  the  supervision  of  Sister  Ann  Alexis,  was 
made  ready  for  occupancy,  and  the  first  patient  was 
received  on  the  ninth  of  June,  1863.  Physicians  of 
eminence  were  glad  to  help  in  this  new  work,  and 
upon  the  rolls  of  the  Hospital  are  to  be  found  the 
names  of  many  doctors  and  surgeons  widely  cele- 
brated for  their  professional  skill. 

In  1865,  the  Hospital  was  incorporated  under 
the  laws  of  Massachusetts,  and  its  property  was 
placed  in  the  hands  of  a  corporation  composed  of 
Sisters  of  Charity  stationed  at  the  Hospital.  This 
body,  which  is  known  as  the  Carney  Hospital  Cor- 
poration, directs  the  work  of  the  Hospital,  and 
controls  its  business  affairs. 

At  this  time,  also,  plans  were  drawn  for  the 
present  building,  and  one  wing  and  a  part  of  the 
chapel  were  erected  in  1868.  The  general  public, 
however,  probably  does  not  appreciate  the  financial 
odds  against  which  the  Hospital  has  struggled, 
for  it  is  not  endowed,  and  has  never  had  the  bene- 
fit of  a  regular  fixed  income.  Accordingly,  the 
work  it  has  accomplished  must  under  the  circum- 

64 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

stances  be  regarded  as  truly  extraordinary.  Al- 
though the  plans  were  drawn  in  1865,  it  was  not 
until  1 89 1  that  the  addition  to  the  Hospital  was 
finally  completed.  Still  later  improvements  have 
been  the  new  out-patient  building,  on  the  corner 
of  Old  Harbor  and  Dorchester  Streets,  completed 
in  1 901,  of  the  committee  in  charge  of  which  Dr. 
Gavin  was  chairman ;  while  other  activities  in- 
clude the  establishment  of  a  dental  clinic  for 
school  children  in  191 2  ;  the  Training  School  for 
Nurses  ;  the  Carney  Hospital  Social  Service  ;  the 
Carney  Hospital  Sewing  Guild ;  the  Ladies'  Aid 
Association,  and  the  Columbus  Day  Nursery. 

In  the  first  fifty  years  of  its  existence,  over  70,000 
people  have  been  treated  in  the  Hospital  itself, 
and  over  300,000  in  the  out-patient  department. 
In  1863,  53  patients  received  treatment;  in  1912, 
nearly  4000 ;  while  the  corps  of  physicians,  sur- 
geons, sisters,  and  nurses  has,  of  necessity  been  in- 
creased in  proportion,  as  the  work  of  the  Hospital 
has  grown.  In  1903,  the  Carney  Hospital  took  a 
great  step  forward,  and  was  the  first  hospital  in 
New  England  to  establish  the  system  of  contin- 
uous service  of  its  staff  members,  with  a  perma- 
nent physician-in-chief  and  surgeon-in-chief. 

Such  in  brief  is  the  history  of  this  institution,  to 
which  Dr.  Gavin  for  so  many  years  gave  so  un- 
sparingly of  his  skill  and  of  his  time.  The  same 

65 


MICHAEL ;  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

professional  traits  and  traits  of  character  which 
distinguished  him,  were  always  in  evidence  dur- 
ing that  long  period  at  the  Carney,  and  the  Sisters, 
his  fellow  physicians,  and  his  patients  there  speak 
of  him  and  his  work  with  the  greatest  love  and 
appreciation. 

The  Carney  Hospital  always  meant  much  to 
Dr.  Gavin.  Not  more  than  did  the  City  Hospital  it 
is  true,  but  it  was  always  dear  to  him.  Because  it 
is  not  so  large  an  institution  as  the  City  Hospital, 
perhaps  Dr.  Gavin  felt  more  intimately  connected 
with  it ;  and  it  is  possible  that  his  service  meant 
more  to  the  Hospital,  and  that,  realizing  this,  he 
gave  of  the  very  best  he  had.  While  on  the  visit- 
ing staff,  he  was  frequently  called  into  the  coun- 
sels of  the  Hospital  by  the  Superiors,  and  his  ad- 
vice was  requested  and  taken  on  many  matters  of 
its  policy  and  operation. 

Dr.  John  T.  Bottomley,  at  present  surgeon-in- 
chief  of  the  Carney,  says  in  connection  with  his 
work  there  as  Dr.  Gavin's  colleague :  — 

I  knew  Dr.  Gavin  very  well,  both  professionally  and 
socially.  I  remember  him  chiefly  for  his  gentle  kind- 
ness of  manner.  This  was  never  assumed,  but  was 
only  a  natural,  genuine  expression  of  the  man's  true 
self.  I  saw  him  most  in  contact  with  his  hospital 
patients.  In  them  he  had  a  real,  live,  human  interest 
and  he  was  not  only  efficient  in  his  professional  atten- 
tions to  them,  but,  what  is  even  more  lasting  and  more 

66 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

comforting,  he  had,  and  showed,  consideration  for 
their  feelings,  and  sympathy  for  their  sufferings,  — 
qualities  which  we  cannot  witness  too  often.  Although 
he  was  a  shrewd  judge  of  men  and  things,  he  was  very 
charitable  in  judging  and  speaking  of  others.  I  cannot 
recollect  that  I  ever  heard  him  say  an  unkind  word  to 
any  one.  He  was  a  fine  type  of  an  Irish  gentleman, 
clean,  kindly,  considerate,  and  charitable. 

In  addition  to  this  long  and  fruitful  connection 
with  the  Carney  Hospital,  Dr.  Gavin  was  asso- 
ciated for  many  years  with  the  St.  Elizabeth's 
Hospital,  where  he  was  appointed  attending  phy- 
sician in  1 87 1.  Soon  afterwards  he  received  the 
appointment  of  surgeon,  and  in  1880  became  con- 
sulting surgeon,  and  later  served  as  one  of  the 
trustees  of  the  Hospital  until  his  resignation  in 
1910. 

Dr.  Gavin  was  a  member  of  the  American  Medi- 
cal Association  and  of  the  British  Medical  Associa- 
tion, a  Fellow  of  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons 
in  Ireland,  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts  Medical 
Society,  of  the  Boston  Society  of  Medical  Im- 
provement, and  of  the  Boston  Medical  Society. 
For  some  years  he  was  visiting  surgeon  at  the 
Marcella  Street  Home,  and  he  attended  the  Con- 
vent of  the  Good  Shepherd,  the  Convents  of  Notre 
Dame  in  Roxbury  and  South  Boston,  and  the  Con- 
vent of  the  Sacred  Heart,  for  many  years.  For  a 
short  time,  with  Dr.  Edward  N.  Whittier,  he  was 

67 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

United  States  Pension  Examiner  in  the  Boston 
District,  and  for  three  years,  from  1888  to  1891, 
he  held  the  position  of  Professor  of  Clinical  Sur- 
gery at  the  Boston  Polyclinic. 

Although  he  undertook  so  many  professional 
responsibilities,  he  most  emphatically  did  not  be- 
long to  that  class  of  men  who  "  spread  themselves 
too  thin,"  for  he  had  one  trait  in  his  character 
which,  of  itself,  made  it  wholly  impossible  for  him 
to  neglect,  or  even  to  slight  anything  which  he  had 
once  begun.  This  trait  was  a  desire  for  thorough- 
ness which  was  almost  a  passion  with  him.  He 
went  to  the  bottom  of  the  available  professional 
knowledge  on  any  point  about  which  he  had  any 
doubt.  The  systematic  training  which  he  went 
through  before  commencing  actual  practice,  was 
in  itself  characteristic  of  this  trait  of  his  character. 
Even  as  late  as  1874,  more  than  half  a  dozen 
years  after  he  was  successfully  established,  he 
took  up  research  work  at  Harvard  College,  to 
broaden  his  knowledge  on  special  subjects.  He 
often  had  instruments  constructed  to  suit  his  own 
ideas  accurately,  and  early  in  his  practice  he  pur- 
chased an  elaborate  microscope,  and  has  referred 
in  letters  to  the  great  fields  of  interest  it  opened 
for  him.  Thus,  whatever  he  undertook,  he  carried 
through  to  the  end,  and  so,  in  spite  of  innumerable 
demands  upon  him,  he  was  always  able  to  pre- 

68 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

serve  a  mental  schedule  of  his  engagements  and 
to  devote  to  each  of  them  in  turn  the  amount  of 
time  necessary  for  the  satisfactory  performance  of 
the  duties  which  it  imposed  on  him. 

Dr.  Gavin  was  frequently  called  upon  to  testify 
in  court  in  cases  involving  the  question  of  dam- 
ages for  personal  injuries,  and  Mr.  James  E. 
Cotter  states  that  both  the  Doctor's  long  experi- 
ence and  his  skill  as  a  surgeon  rendered  him  a 
valuable  expert  witness,  and  that  whatever  testi- 
mony he  gave  in  a  case  was  listened  to  with  re- 
spect, alike  by  the  court,  by  the  jurors,  and  by  the 
opposing  counsel. 

What  he  said  carried  conviction  with  it,  for  no  one 
could  hear  him  without  realizing  that  he  was  testifying 
without  the  slightest  prejudice,  either  for  one  side  or 
the  other,  and  that  what  he  said  was  the  expression  of 
an  honest,  sincere  and  intelligent  opinion  upon  mat- 
ters concerning  which  he  was  particularly  well  quali- 
fied to  express  his  views. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  upon  those  occa- 
sions when  opposing  counsel  sought  to  entangle 
him,  Dr.  Gavin's  keen  mind  and  ready  wit  were 
displayed  perhaps  to  their  best  advantage,  and  he 
either  would  avoid  his  questioner's  trap  altogether, 
or  else  would  make  it  apparent  to  all  that  his  know- 
ledge of  the  subject  was  much  more  superficial 
than  real. 

69 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

With  all  these  interests  it  is  not  surprising  that 
Dr.  Gavin  found  little  time  for  writing  of  a  pro- 
fessional nature.  Yet  he  did,  at  various  periods  of 
his  career,  contribute  occasional  articles  to  medical 
and  surgical  publications.  A  list  of  these  is  as 
follows :  — 

In  the  Boston  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal  for 
February  9, 1865  (vol.  72,  page  47),  may  be  found 
a  note  on  "A  Useful  Disinfectant,"  dated  Boston, 
February  1, 1865,  and  signed  "M.  F.  Gavin,  M.  D., 
House  Surgeon,  City  Hospital."  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  an  article  on  "  Comparative  Statistics  of 
Suicide"  in  the  Boston  Medical  and  Surgical  Jour- 
nal for  December  24, 1868  (vol.  79,  page  326),  and 
by  a  paper  on  "Ganglion"  in  the  same  journal 
for  December  2,  1869  (vol.  81,  page  306),  signed 
"  M.  F.  Gavin,  Surgeon  to  Out-Patients,  City  Hos- 
pital." This  latter  article  shows  a  wide  range  of 
reading  and  contains  references  to  French  medi- 
cal works,  as  well  as  to  those  of  England  and 
America. 

For  the  Boston  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal  of 
August  25,  1870  (vol.  83,  page  119),  Dr.  Gavin 
wrote  an  article  entitled  "  Case  of  Impacted  Cal- 
culus in  the  Urethra.  External  Urethrotomy.  Re- 
covery." This  article  is  interesting,  not  only  for  its 
subject  matter,  but  also  because  one  is  reminded 
of  Dr.  Gavin's  foreign  degrees  by  the  signature, 

70. 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

"M.  F.  Gavin,  M.  D.,  F.  R.  C.  S.  I.,  etc.,  Surgeon 
to  Out-Patients,  City  Hospital,  Boston." 

His  next  paper  is  to  be  found  in  the  Journal  for 
June  16,  1874  (vol.  91,  page  52).  This  paper,  on 
"Three  cases  of  Spina  Bifida,"  was  read,  origin- 
ally, before  the  South  Boston  Medical  Club,  and 
its  signature  is  again  interesting,  as  showing  the 
varied  character  of  Dr.  Gavin's  professional  career, 
for  this  time  he  signs  himself,  "  M.  F.  Gavin,  M.  D., 
Surgeon  to  Saint  Elizabeth's  Hospital." 

From  this  time  on,  he  was  apparently  too  busy 
to  do  much  writing,  and  it  is  not  until  November 
11,  1886,  that  another  article  appears  under  his 
signature.  This  paper,  "A  Case  of  Supra-Pubic 
Lithotomy,"  is  to  be  found  in  the  Boston  Medical 
and  Surgical  Journal  (vol.  115,  page  446),  although 
prior  to  publication  it  was  read,  on  October  4,  1886, 
before  the  Boston  Society  for  Medical  Observation. 

On  January  1,  1894,  Dr.  Gavin  read  another 
paper  before  the  Boston  Society  for  Medical  Ob- 
servation. This  time,  the  subject  was  "The  Medi- 
cal Cure  of  Hydrocele,"  and  the  paper  was  fol- 
lowed by  a  general  discussion,  in  which  Dr.  Gavin, 
Dr.  George  W.  Gay,  Dr.  H.  L.  Burrell,  and  Dr. 
Maurice  H.  Richardson  participated.  The  paper 
was  subsequently  published  in  the  Boston  Medical 
and  Surgical  Journal,  March  1,  1894  (vol.  130, 
page  210). 

7i 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

The  last  of  Dr.  Gavin's  articles  in  the  Boston 
Medical  and  Surgical  Journal  is  to  be  found  in 
the  number  for  May  2,  1895  (vol.  132,  page  437). 
It  is  entitled  "A  Case  of  Castration  for  Hypertro- 
phied  Prostate,"  and  is  also  to  be  found  in  the 
Medical  and  Surgical  Reports  of  the  Boston  City 
Hospital  (6th  Series,  page  10),  while  another  arti- 
cle by  him  is  later  to  be  found  in  these  reports 
for  1900  (nth  Series,  page  158),  entitled  "The 
Work  in  Surgical  Pathology  of  the  Pathological 
and  Surgical  Departments,  by  M.  F.  Gavin,  M.  D., 
with  the  assistance  of  L.  G.  R.  Crandon,  M.  D., 
W.  C.  Howe,  M.  D.,  and  D.  D.  Scannell,  M.  D." 

Besides  the  articles  already  enumerated,  Dr. 
Gavin  wrote  an  article  in  September,  1869,  for 
Appietorfs  Journal,  of  New  York,  on  "  Compara- 
tive Statistics  of  Suicide,"  and  contributed  more 
than  once  to  foreign  publications,  writing  a  num- 
ber of  articles  when  abroad  for  the  London  Lancet, 
and  publishing  in  the  Dublin  Medical  Press,  in 
1886,  an  article  on  "The  Treatment  of  Burns." 

In  addition  to  his  strictly  professional  writings, 
he  made  use  of  his  ability  in  this  line  early  in  his 
professional  career  by  writing  a  series  of  articles 
for  the  daily  press  treating  of  simple  medical  sub- 
jects in  a  popular  style.  During  his  service  in  the 
army,  while  stationed  at  the  field  hospital,  he  also 
contributed  letters  from  time  to  time  on  subjects 

72 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

of  current  interest,  and  wrote  a  series  of  articles 
on  "Life  at  the  Front"  under  the  signature,  "Ab- 
beytown,"  the  name  of  that  part  of  the  town  of 
Roscommon  in  which  he  was  born.  He  also  con- 
tributed a  number  of  interesting  articles  on  "  Life 
and  Happenings  in  America  "  to  the  home  papers 
of  his  native  town  and  to  some  of  the  Dublin 
dailies,  before  professional  work  encroached  too 
much  on  his  leisure. 

Dr.  Gavin  frequently  assisted  his  friend,  John 
Boyle  O'Reilly,  by  writing  for  The  Pilot  in  the 
early  days,  after  Mr.  O'Reilly  had  taken  over  the 
management  of  the  paper.  This  is  shown  by  the 
following  interesting  letters  from  Mr.  O'Reilly. 

The  Pilot, 
Boston,  Aug.  17,  1874. 
Dear  Gavin:  — 

I  am  going  to  Baltimore  on  vacation  to-morrow. 
Can  you  write  an  article  for  the  Pilot.    If  you  can, 
will  you  give  it  to  Mr.  Donahue  on  or  before  Saturday 
afternoon?  I  shall  be  heartily  obliged  to  you. 
Always  yours, 

John  Boyle  O'Reilly. 
M.  F.  Gavin,  M.D. 

M.  F.  Gavin,  Esq.,  M.D. 

My  dear  Gavin:  — 

I  returned  from  New  York  yesterday  with  a  bad 
cold  and  a  swelled  throat.  I  am  better  this  morning, 
all  but  the  throat.  I  can't  go  out  to-day  and  I  cannot 
do  much  for  the  paper.  Will  you  write  that  article  on 

73 


MICHAEL   FREEBERN   GAVIN 

Harper's  Magazine  for  me?  If  you  possibly  can,  you 
will  render  me  still  more  your  debtor.  If  you  do  it, 
take  it  over  to  Donahue  this  evening  or  in  the  morn- 
ing. 

Very  sincerely  yours, 

John  Boyle  O'Reilly. 

Three  other  letters  from  O'Reilly  may  be  of 
interest,  as  showing  the  warm  friendship  which 
existed  between  himself  and  Dr.  Gavin. 

Friday  morning. 

My  dear  Gavin:  — 

Get  the  March  number  of  The  Dark  Blue;  my  "Dog 
Guard"  is  in  it.  Are  n't  you  pleased?  That  is  the  top 
of  the  tree,  old  man.  Twenty  pounds  for  it,  and  they 
want  more.  I  feel  pretty  much  like  Oliver  Wendell 
Holmes  to-day;  and  should  you  call  to  see  me,  please 
don't  be  too  familiar  at  first;  I  feel  dignified  —  "con- 
siderable." 

If  the  Dark  Blue  were  in  Boston,  I'd  send  you  a 
copy,  but  they  have  not  come  yet. 
Yours  ever, 

J.  Boyle  O'Reilly. 

The  Pilot  Editorial  Room. 
Boston,  May  21,  1887. 
Dear  Gavin:  — 

Dr.  X is  a  friend  of  mine,  and  a  good  fellow, 

and  a  good  doctor,  and  the  best  heavy-weight  gentle- 
man-boxer in  Boston. 

If  you  will  assist  him,  I  shall  vote  for  you  when  you 
want  me  to  get  you  into  Paradise. 

Faithfully, 
John  Boyle  O'Reilly. 

74 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Love  to  you,  dear  old  man.  I  wish  I  could  see  you 
often  as  of  old. 

The  Pilot. 
Boston,  April  7,  1890. 
Dear  Gavin:  — 

Your  kind  letter  has  waited  here  for  me  nearly  a 
month.  Your  words  are  kind  and  deeply  gratifying  and 
you  are  a  dear  old  man. 

Faithfully  yrs, 

John  Boyle  O'Reilly. 

Dr.  Gavin  had  little  love  for  public  speaking, 
and  except  for  the  above-mentioned  papers  which 
he  read  before  medical  clubs  and  societies,  he 
made  almost  no  public  addresses,  In  the  early 
days  of  the  Catholic  Union,  when  he  was  on  the 
Council,  he  gave  a  lecture  on  "Food"  before  that 
organization,  which  showed  a  great  amount  of 
study  and  preparation,  and  was  presented  in  an 
interesting  and  popular  manner.  Whenever  pos- 
sible, however,  he  preferred  not  to  be  called  upon, 
and  the  accompanying  letter  from  Dr.  Dwight  is 
an  evidence  of  Dr.  Gavin's  traditional  modesty 
and  reticence  in  this  regard. 

Dear  Doctor:  — 

I  suppose  that  I  may  take  it  on  myself  to  reply  to 
your  note  without  referring  it  to  the  committee.  I  am 
sorry  that  you  are  not  inclined  to  read  your  paper 
yourself,  because  I  think  it  must  suffer  by  being  read 
by  any  one  else,  and  I  have  no  doubt  your  fears  are 

75 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

quite  groundless.  So  please  think  it  over.  Still,  if  you 
insist,  we  shall  be  glad  to  have  your  paper  on  any  terms 
and  will  find  a  reader.  Please  get  it  ready  as  soon  as 
you  can,  and  let  me  know  when  that  will  be. 

Yours  very  truly, 

Thomas  Dwight. 
70  Beacon  St.,  December  7th. 
Dr.  Gavin. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

SUMMARY  OF  DR.   GAVIN'S   PROFESSIONAL 
CAREER 

DURING  the  last  fifty  years  in  the  medical  world, 
there  has  been  a  steady  trend  toward  specializa- 
tion ;  for  a  man  to  be,  as  Dr.  Gavin  was,  both  a 
general  practitioner  and  a  surgeon,  is  to-day  prac- 
tically unknown. 

In  his  day,  however,  the  standard  was  a  very 
different  one.  Then  a  physician  could  almost,  after 
the  manner  of  Bacon,  take  the  whole  field  of  medi- 
cine for  his  province,  and  this,  with  regard  to  Dr. 
Gavin's  career,  is  the  first  point  to  remember.  He 
was  eminent,  not  as  a  specialist  in  any  single 
branch  of  his  profession,  but  as  a  very  excellent 
general  practitioner,  equally  proficient  in  cases 
which  called  for  medical  treatment  and  in  those 
which  required  surgical  skill. 

At  the  same  time,  it  is  necessary  to  guard  against 
a  possible  misconception ;  for  while  it  is  true  that 
the  best  medical  opinion  of  to-day  favors  special- 
ization, Dr.  Gavin's  reputation  and  achievements 
must  not  be  undervalued  on  that  account,  for  the 
real  test,  as  a  rule,  is  whether  or  not  a  man  attains 
eminence  according  to  the  views  and  standards  of 

77 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

his  day ;  and  that  test  his  fame  is  well  able  to  with- 
stand. 

No  doubt,  if  he  had  been  born  thirty  years  later, 
he  would  have  attained  the  same  distinction  as  a 
specialist  which  he  achieved  as  a  general  practi- 
tioner. Yet  it  is  not  so  easy  to  imagine  him  in  the 
later  and  more  modern  role,  since  he  was,  by  na- 
ture, ideally  fitted  for  the  work  which  he  elected 
to  perform.  The  whole  world  interested  him ;  he 
was  never  wearied,  never  indifferent,  never  at  a 
loss  for  occupation.  To  live  was  to  him  a  wonder- 
ful and  priceless  privilege,  to  be  regarded  both 
seriously  and  reverently,  and  at  the  same  time 
with  an  unquenchable  and  abiding  joy.  It  was 
only  natural  that  a  man  who  took  such  an  interest 
in  life  should  find  in  the  history  of  medical  knowl- 
edge a  most  congenial  field,  and  Dr.  Gavin,  with 
his  keen  and  inquiring  mind,  loved  to  survey  the 
entire  domain  of  medical  science,  and  to  consider 
each  isolated  fact,  and  each  separate  theory,  in 
relation  to  the  subject  as  a  whole. 

One  might,  indeed,  suppose  that  a  man  so  busy 
with  actual  practice  would  have  little  leisure  for 
study  ;  yet  Dr.  Gavin  was  widely  known  as  a  genu- 
ine student  of  medicine,  and  his  extensive  reading 
and  his  power  of  keeping  abreast  of  the  times  went 
far  to  prove  that  for  the  man  who  is  really  filled 
with  enthusiasm  for  his  profession  there  is  no  such 

78 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

thing  as  "  not  having  the  time."  He  contrived  to 
make  the  time,  and  not  only  managed  to  be  thor- 
oughly well-informed  as  to  the  present,  but  delved 
among  the  records  of  old  times  as  few  physicians 
ever  do,  partly  from  a  genuine  love  of  research, 
partly  because  he  realized  that  it  is  only  by  com- 
pletely understanding  the  past  that  we  are  enabled 
to  appraise  the  present  and  to  forecast  the  future. 
His  medical  library  was  a  very  fine  one,  and  from 
the  time  of  his  studies  abroad  he  was  always  a  sub- 
scriber to  the  leading  foreign  medical  papers  and,  as 
has  been  said,  he  kept  in  touch  for  years  afterwards, 
through  correspondence,  with  professors  of  the 
Royal  College  in  Ireland.  In  the  words  of  Dr. 
George  W.  Gay,  a  life-long  friend  of  Dr.  Gavin, 
"  He  had  a  great  deal  of  professional  enthusiasm, 
and  was  keenly  interested  in  the  progress  of  medi- 
cal and  surgical  methods.  His  very  wide  range  of 
reading,  both  in  the  past  and  in  the  present,  made 
him  a  most  interesting  companion." 

Thus,  Dr.  Gavin  stood  as  a  thoroughly  able  and 
successful  all-around  practitioner,  —  possessed  of 
wide  experience  and  great  ability,  and  able  to  meet 
and  to  deal  coolly  and  confidently  with  those  unex- 
pected emergencies  which  are  continually  arising 
in  every  doctor's  professional  life.  Moreover  he 
possessed  his  own  individual  personality,  which 
won  for  him  respect  and  confidence  everywhere. 

79 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

He  never  could  make  an  unfavorable  impression. 
At  the  first  instant,  perhaps,  his  quiet,  retiring 
manner  and  unassuming  bearing  might  not 
strongly  impress  a  stranger,  but  it  did  not  take 
long  for  this  to  be  changed.  Even  his  personal  ap- 
pearance would  bring  this  about.  Never  concerned 
about  mere  recent  styles,  he  dressed  in  a  simple, 
unaffected  manner,  neither  strikingly  professional, 
nor  yet  calculated  to  conceal  his  calling.  His  move- 
ments were  never  quick  or  boisterous,  but  had  the 
quiet  unconscious  ease  of  the  true  gentleman.  His 
clear,  steady,  straightforward  gray  eye,  the  fresh, 
almost  boyish  color  in  his  cheeks,  and  the  winning- 
ness  of  his  smile,  impressed  one  almost  at  once, 
and  when  he  spoke,  his  quiet,  undemonstrative, 
but  frank  manner  of  speaking  quickly  convinced 
his  hearers  of  his  knowledge.  So,  ably  fitted  by 
nature,  one  might  say,  for  his  calling,  he  filled  to 
perfection  the  r61e  of  the  all-around  doctor,  the 
general  practitioner. 

To  consider  Dr.  Gavin's  professional  attainments 
more  in  detail,  it  is  probably  true  that  while  he  was 
eminently  successful  as  a  physician,  it  is  as  a  sur- 
geon that  he  will  be  best  remembered.  He  had  a 
natural  aptitude  for  surgery,  and  in  addition  to  be- 
ing an  able  operator,  he  was  celebrated  for  the  re- 
markable excellence  of  his  judgment.  One  of  his 
chief  characteristics  was  his  caution  in  advising  an 

80 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

operation.  In  the  words  of  Sister  Gonzoga,  for 
many  years  Superior  of  the  Carney  Hospital,  "  Dr. 
Gavin  was  kind,  conscientious,  and  when  it  came 
to  a  question  of  a  serious  operation,  very  conser- 
vative. When  he  said  that  an  operation  was  neces- 
sary, the  patient  might  rest  assured  that  all  other 
means  had  proved  unsuccessful." 

This  conservatism  with  regard  to  operating  was 
a  natural  trait  of  Dr.  Gavin,  yet  it  was  doubtless 
intensified  by  the  conditions  prevailing  when  the 
Doctor  first  began  practice.  Dr.  David  W.  Cheever 
has  termed  this  period  "  the  dark  days  of  my  youth,'* 
and  an  extract  from  his  address  at  the  Fiftieth  An- 
niversary of  the  Boston  City  Hospital,  in  1914,  shows 
what  the  conditions  were  at  that  time,  and  in  what 
manner  they  were  remedied. 

So  [said  Dr.  Cheever]  we  stand  to-day,  honorable 
and  honored,  one  of  the  best  municipal  hospitals  in  our 
country.  This  is  no  boastful  record.  It  is  strictly  true. 

But  to  me  personally  has  everything  always  been  so 
agreeable?  Let  me  recall  the  dark  days  of  my  youth, 
when  blood-poisoning  cursed  surgery,  and  death  fol- 
lowed our  hardest  efforts.  Let  me  give  an  example. 
During  one  winter  I  was  called  up  here  sixteen  winter 
nights  to  relieve  suffocation  by  opening  the  windpipes 
of  children  suffering  from  membranous  croup,  as 
diphtheria  was  then  called.  Heavenly  relief  and  calm 
sleep  followed.  But  how  many  cures?  Within  three 
days,  twelve  of  the  sixteen  would  die,  and  four  recover. 
He  who  saved  one  in  four  did  well ;  he  who  saved  one  in 
three  was  a  hero. 

81 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Now,  for  1913,  the  statistics  of  laryngeal  diphtheria 
in  our  hospital  show  a  mortality  of  27.73  per  cent,  and 
of  recovery  72.26  per  cent.  Formerly  three  out  of  four 
died.   Now  three  out  of  four  recover.  .  .  . 

The  undiscovered  appendix  was  causing  fatal  peri- 
tonitis without  recognition  and  without  redress.  Acute 
peritonitis  was  almost  always  fatal.  Compound  frac- 
tures lay  for  months  unhealed,  and  if  they  finally  re- 
quired amputation,  amputation  was  often  fatal;  the 
mortality  of  thigh  amputations  at  the  middle  third 
rising  to  50  per  cent.  Wounds  suppurated  before  they 
healed,  and  suppuration  not  infrequently  ended  in 
pyemia.  .  .  . 

Surgery  was  external  or  surface  surgery.  Tumors 
were  removed,  plastic  operations  begun,  amputations 
practised,  but  I  have  seen  a  poor  victim  of  a  large  burn 
on  the  back  die  of  exhaustion  because  we  knew  not  the 
possible  relief  of  healing  by  transplanted  skin. 

A  sombre  picture,  not  overdrawn;  and  yet  surgery 
was  the  only  resort  open;  and  the  anxious  and  care- 
taking  surgeon  toiled  and  toiled,  maintaining  the 
cheerfulness  of  hope,  which  alone  held  death  aloof. 

Such  were  the  conditions,  when,  half-way  down 
my  surgical  journey,  twenty-five  years  ago,  asepsis 
dawned,  and  slowly,  like  a  summer  morning,  brought 
on  the  perfect  day,  —  gradually,  little  by  little,  step 
by  step:  first,  carbolic  antisepsis  and  carbolic  spray, 
then  corrosive  sublimate,  then  heat,  then  alcohol, 
then  dryness  and  sterilized  gauze  and  gloves;  then 
suppuration  vanished,  surgery  became  a  joy,  recovery 
was  the  rule,  and  death  was  often  not  unjustly  ascribed 
to  a  failure  of  technic. 

In  consideration  of  these  conditions,  it  was  but 
natural  for  Dr.  Gavin  to  be  a  prudent  and  con- 

82 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

servative  surgeon,  and  this  fact  was  of  inestimable 
benefit  to  the  younger  men  who  served  under  him. 
After  the  discovery  of  asepsis,  and  the  resulting 
wonderful  improvements  in  surgical  methods,  it 
was  inevitable  that  a  great  wave  of  enthusiasm 
should  result,  and  for  a  time  it  seemed  that  this 
wave  had  rolled  too  far,  and  that  some  of  the  junior 
surgeons,  though  with  a  perfectly  sincere  and 
righteous  professional  zeal,  were  rather  inclined  to 
make  operations,  not  the  exception,  but  the  rule. 
This  was  where  the  wise  counsel  of  Dr.  Gavin  and 
others  of  the  older  school  was  of  the  greatest  ben- 
efit; and  this  story  is  told  of  the  Doctor  and  a  bril- 
liant young  colleague,  who  were  discussing  a  case 
together.  "So  you  think,"  said  Dr.  Gavin,  "that 
an  operation  is  necessary?"  "Yes,"  his  junior  re- 
plied, "  I  have  given  the  matter  my  best  considera- 
tion and  I  believe  that  I  should  surely  operate." 
Whereupon  Dr.  Gavin  looked  at  him  earnestly 
for  a  moment  and  then  quietly  queried,  "What 
for  ?  "  The  younger  surgeon  said  afterward  to  a 
friend :  — 

The  question  took  me  completely  aback  and  it  was 
some  time  before  I  realized  the  depth  of  meaning 
which  those  two  words  contained.  There  was  the 
whole  matter  put  straight  up  to  me.  Was  I  going 
ahead  because  I  saw  a  chance  to  perform  a  brilliant 
operation,  because  I  was  looking  upon  the  matter 
simply  from  its  surgical  side,  or  was  I,  as  I  should  have 

83 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

done,  and  as  Dr.  Gavin  always  did,  putting  the  welfare 
of  the  patient  before  anything  else,  as  the  one  para- 
mount consideration.  It  was  a  lesson  that  I  have 
never  forgotten,  and  never  shall  forget. 

Another  fact  should  be  remembered  in  connec- 
tion with  these  new  surgical  discoveries,  —  namely, 
that,  while  their  importance  can  scarcely  be  exag- 
gerated, it  does  not  therefore  follow  that  all  the 
surgical  wisdom  of  bygone  days  was  rendered 
valueless  by  them.  Dr.  John  T.  Bottomley  has  well 
expressed  this  in  speaking  of  Dr.  Gavin  who,  he 
says,  "Trained  in  an  era  preceding  that  which 
saw  the  introduction  and  wonderful  spread  of 
asepsis  in  surgery,  adapted  himself  successfully 
to  new  principles  and  new  surroundings,  bringing 
with  him,  however,  from  the  old,  much  that  was 
useful,  interesting,  and  sound.  Thus  he  was  valu- 
able in  advice  and  suggestion  to  us  of  a  later 
generation.  Not  all  that  is  novel  is  good." 

However,  though  Dr.  Gavin's  first  thought  in 
surgery  was  caution,  it  did  not  follow  that  he  was 
not  an  excellent  surgeon,  or  that,  in  those  cases 
which  required  an  operation,  he  did  not  show  a 
high  degree  of  skill  in  that  most  delicate,  but  dan- 
gerous art.  For  he  was,  as  has  been  said,  a  very  ex- 
cellent surgeon.  Many,  almost  unnumbered,  were 
the  operations  that  he  performed  in  his  life-time ; 
for  many  years,  at  the  commencement  of  his  career, 

84 


DR.    GAVIN    IN   MIDDLE   LIFE 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

without  any  of  the  present-day  aids  of  surgery  to 
assist  him ;  and  the  results  he  obtained  are  shown 
in  the  proportions  which  his  practice  attained. 
Then,  when  the  change  came,  his  skill  was  able 
to  follow  the  change,  and  he  stepped  into  the  new 
fields  with  the  same  sureness  as  before,  the  same 
clear  perception  of  what  was  to  be  done,  and  the 
same  steadiness  of  hand  and  delicacy  of  touch 
with  which  to  do  it.  Some  of  his  operations,  then, 
were  bold  steps  into  the  unknown,  which  pointed 
out  the  way  for  still  later  methods.  But  the  intense 
interest  of  such  work  could  never  shake  his  funda- 
mental principle,  that  the  patient  came  first ;  and 
so  it  always  stood  with  him. 

It  is  interesting  to  observe  another  strong  ten- 
dency of  Dr.  Gavin's  professional  work  —  the  tend- 
ency to  conservatism.  In  surgery  he  operated  only 
when  necessary  for  the  patient's  good.  In  medi- 
cine, he  firmly  believed  that  Nature  herself  was  the 
greatest  physician  of  all,  and  his  practice  always 
was  merely  to  assist  her.  With  him  medicines  were 
never  the  rule ;  as  in  surgery,  they  were  given,  and 
given  with  wide  knowledge  and  rare  skill,  when 
really  needed,  but  they  were  never  prescribed  when 
Nature  herself  could  do  the  work. 

As  a  consultant,  especially  in  later  years,  he  was 
widely  known,  and  in  reviewing  his  career,  this 
particular  branch  of  his  profession  should  be  em- 

85 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

phasized.  Time  and  again  he  would  be  called  upon 
as  a  recognized  authority  to  render  the  deciding 
opinion  in  a  difficult  case,  where  there  was  doubt 
on  the  part  of  the  attending  physicians.  Summoned 
often  as  a  last  resort,  his  decision  was  regarded  as 
final.  In  considering  Dr.  Gavin's  professional  work, 
it  seems  that  the  responsibility  that  such  consulta- 
tions entailed  should  be  dwelt  upon. 

These  visits  in  consultation  required  intense  con- 
centration, in  an  effort  to  penetrate  ordinary  symp- 
toms which  had  proved  deceiving  or  misleading 
to  their  observers ;  and  the  decision  when  made, 
naturally  had  more  bearing  on  professional  reputa- 
tion than  more  private  work ;  and  all  of  this,  in  ad- 
dition to  the  responsibility  for  the  patient's  recovery, 
which  appealed  most  strongly  to  a  nature  like 
Dr.  Gavin's.  It  might  seem  likely,  that  the  nervous 
strain  of  a  large  amount  of  such  work  would  de- 
velop qualities  of  irritability  or  sharpness,  or  per- 
haps, arrogance  and  conceit;  but  this  was  not  true 
of  Dr.  Gavin.  He  never  accepted  such  calls  as  a 
personal  tribute.  He  went  to  them  with  the  modest 
assurance  of  a  broad  experience,  and  he  rendered 
his  decisions  simply,  with  no  affectation  and  no 
hesitation.  The  compliment  of  the  work  apparently 
never  struck  him,  and  in  spite  of  his  deep  consider- 
ation for  the  patient,  his  even  temperament  could 
not  be  shaken  by  any  worry  after  he  had  given  his 

86 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

decision,  as  carefully  considered  "in  the  light  of  his 
own  best  judgment." 

Perhaps  a  summary  of  the  character  of  his  pro- 
fessional work,  his  methods,  and  the  motives  be- 
hind them,  can  best  be  given  in  the  precise  words 
of  men  who  knew  him  personally,  men  of  the  same 
profession  who  worked  with,  and  under  him.  I 
quote,  then,  first  from  Dr.  Frederick  J.  Cotton, 
who  served  under  him  at  the  Boston  City  Hospital. 
Says  Dr.  Cotton :  — 

Dr.  Gavin  was,  so  to  speak,  my  god-father  in  sur- 
gery, and  to  no  one  is  my  debt  greater.  Many  years 
ago  now,  I  came  to  the  Boston  City  Hospital  a  stran- 
ger, trained  elsewhere,  in  other  hospitals  here  and  in 
Vienna.  It  was  my  good  fortune  to  be  assigned  to  Dr. 
Gavin's  service.  He  cared  little  for  what  I  had  learned 
of  surgical  technic  and  less  for  my  pathological  train- 
ing, though  he  was  very  nice  about  it.  His  efforts  were 
directed  to  teach  me  the  common  sense  of  surgery;  not 
largely  represented  in  my  equipment,  but  his  real 
profession. 

Dr.  Gavin  was  never  primarily  a  technician,  and 
when  I  came  under  his  hand,  he  was  doing  but  little 
operating;  the  purely  operative  side  of  surgery  never 
struck  him,  apparently,  as  worth  much  notice;  that  he 
regarded  as  simple  professional  equipment.  He  read 
omnivorously  and  discriminatingly;  it  was  impossible 
to  "stump"  him  on  the  newer  developments,  but  he 
really  cared  for  them  only  as  they  contributed  to  the 
things  he  cared  for;  the  art  of  getting  sick  folks  well  by 
surgery. 

It  is  most  interesting  to  note  the  next  portion  of 

87 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Dr.  Cotton's  tribute,  because  it  reiterates  almost  in 
the  same  words  a  point  already  emphasized  from 
an  entirely  different  source. 

In  the  early  days  X and  I  were  together  under 

him.  It  was,  "Dr.  X — • — ,"  or,  "Dr.  Cotton,  will  you 
kindly  see  to  this  patient;  take  full  charge  of  him." 
This  was  all  very  well,  but  about  four  days  later  (may- 
hap no  more  than  two)  X or  I  would  have  the 

patient  down  on  the  operating  floor,  when  there  the 
chief  would  appear  (from  nowhere,  which  was  an  inno- 
cent trick  of  his)  with  an  expression  of  child-like  inter- 
est: "Dr.  Cotton,  I  understand  you  are  thinking  of 
operating  on  that  patient,  C  24!  Very  interesting, 
Doctor!  What  for?"  All  of  which  meant  that  he  had 
been  watching  quietly  as  always,  and  as  closely  as  we 
had,  and,  with  his  broader  vision,  was  doubtful  what 
was  wise.  Nearly  always  the  patient  went  back  to  the 
ward,  and  we  had  learned  something:  learned  caution, 
even  if  we  had  not  gotten  at  his  clear  notions  of  rea- 
sons for  and  against. 

With  his  three  decades  and  more  of  funded  experi- 
ence, added  to  native  insight,  he  had  developed,  not 
only  that  judgment  which  is  wisdom,  but  an  almost 
uncanny  perception.  Again  and  again,  on  the  ward 
visits  have  I  heard,  "Doctor,  what's  wrong  with  that 
patient?"  in  regard  to  some  one  about  whom  we  had 
been  academically  complacent.  And  always  something 
was  wrong. 

Never  have  I  known  a  surgeon  (and,  one  place  with 
another,  I  have  known  not  a  few)  with  his  curious  gift 
of  prognosis.  He  knew,  as  one  of  a  previous  generation 
put  it,  not  only  "what  disease  the  patient  had,  but 
also  what  kind  of  a  patient  the  disease  had,"  with  a 
disconcerting  exactness   that  we,  his  juniors,  never 

88 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

quite  understood.  Always  it  was  the  patient,  the 
human  side,  that  interested  him;  that  called  forth  his 
best  thought;  the  result  of  his  ripe  experience  and  ob- 
servation. It  was  Dr.  Gavin's  humanity,  in  the  broad- 
est and  best  sense,  that  was  his  most  characteristic 
and,  to  my  mind,  his  finest  trait.  He  did  not  lack 
firmness  in  the  least;  he  could  and  did  fight  and  fight 
hard,  on  rare  occasions,  and  he  had  that  natural  dig- 
nity that  needs  no  safeguard  and  that  got  no  care  from 
him;  but  he  never  quarrelled;  never  was  unapprecia- 
tive;  never  unkindly.  Even  his  instant  Irish  wit,  his 
incomparable  mastery  of  the  drollery  of  phrase,  never 
bit  in. 

Because  of  his  deliberate  effacement  of  himself  in 
the  service  of  which  he  was  so  vital  a  part,  his  value 
was  not  fully  appreciated,  I  think,  in  an  era  in  which 
the  purely  technical  side  of  surgery  loomed  much  too 
large.  Just  now  we  are  swinging  back  with  the  pendu- 
lum to  another  period,  when  surgery  is  for  the  patient, 
not  the  patient  for  surgery,  and  it  is  a  regret  with  me 
that  the  chief  is  not  here  to  smile  his  quizzical,  lovable 
smile  at  the  change. 

Dr.  L.  G.  R.  Crandon  and  Dr.  D.  D.  Scannell 
both  worked  under,  and  afterwards  with,  Dr.  Gavin 
at  the  City  Hospital,  in  the  later  period  of  his  life, 
and  their  statements  are  of  interest. 

Dr.  Gavin  [says  Dr.  Crandon]  was  of  the  old  type 
surgeon  and  gentleman,  always  efficient,  always  prac- 
tical, yet  always  formal  and  courteous.  The  memory 
of  his  ward  visits  is  a  joy.  Accompanied  by  all  his 
house  officers  he  would  speak  to  the  first  patient,  say- 
ing to  him  as  no  one  else  could  say  it,  "How  are  you 
this  morning?"   Then  he  would  turn  to  the  old  house 

89 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

surgeon,  fix  him  with  those  pale  blue  eyes,  and  ask 
"How  is  this  man?"  This  would  be  repeated,  in  sub- 
stance, at  every  bedside. 

Every  other  case  would  suggest  some  story,  which 
he  would  tell  us  to  carry  the  point  which  he  wished  to 
make.  Rarely  something  ordered  by  Dr.  Gavin  would 
not  be  carried  out.  A  very  direct  "Why  was  this  not 
done?"  to  the  house  surgeon,  accompanied  by  the 
blaze  of  those  eyes,  was  usually  enough  for  one  term 
of  service. 

His  lines  of  reasoning  in  diagnosis  he  would  not  run 
over  aloud,  after  the  manner  of  the  present  day.  He 
was  a  man  of  few  words  and  would  pronounce  his 
judgment  after  a  few  minutes'  thought,  tersely  and 
with  conviction.  He  would  ask  three  questions,  touch 
the  patient's  tongue  with  his  finger,  and  then  give  an 
opinion  which,  in  the  light  of  subsequent  development, 
constantly  surprised  us  by  its  accuracy. 

Two  great  lessons  I  have  as  a  heritage  from  Dr. 
Gavin.  The  first  of  these  he  had  to  give  us,  in  our 
youth  and  ignorance,  many  times.  As  a  matter  of 
tradition,  or  routine,  or,  worse  still,  mere  ape-like  imi- 
tation, we  would  carry  out  some  procedure  of  examin- 
ation, or  operation,  or  other  treatment;  whereupon  our 
chief  would  turn  upon  us  with  a  twinkle  in  his  eye,  and 
in  a  very  mild  voice  would  say,  "Why  did  you  do 
that?"  Then,  if  the  house  officer  was  of  the  quality 
which  was  worth  teaching,  the  Doctor  would  say  to 
him  with  an  earnestness  not  to  be  forgotten,  "  Doctor, 
when  I  am  about  to  do  anything  in  surgery,  I  always 
ask  myself,  'Why  are  you  going  to  do  this?'  And  if  I 
cannot  answer  that  question  satisfactorily,  I  don't  do 
what  I  was  about  to  do." 

The  second  lesson  came  from  an  episode  in  the  am- 
phitheatre.   A  junior  surgeon  was  operating;  a  grave 

90 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

matter  for  decision  and  action  with  relation  to  the 
case  in  hand  suddenly  arose.  The  junior  surgeon  put 
the  question  to  many  of  his  seniors  seated  in  the  ex- 
edra. 

Many  opinions  were  expressed,  so  various  in  fact, 
that  one  surgeon  suggested  that  we  should  take  a  vote 
on  the  matter,  to  ascertain  what  mode  of  procedure 
the  majority  advised,  whereupon  Dr.  Gavin  broke  in, 

"No,  this  is  not  a  matter  for  a  vote;  Doctor  X is 

operating,  and  he  is  solely  and  wholly  responsible.  He 
may  listen  to  us,  but  he  must  decide  for  himself." 

This  point  Dr.  Gavin  was  repeatedly  making  in 
some  form  or  other,  saying  that  no  one  could  carry  out 
well  a  surgical  procedure  in  which  he  did  not  himself 
wholly  believe;  and  he  repeatedly  told  his  junior  sur- 
geons never  to  operate  upon  the  orders  of  a  superior 
unless  the  treatment  so  ordered  was  in  accordance  with 
the  judgment  of  the  one  about  to  operate. 

It  is  a  constant  profit  and  satisfaction  to  have  been 
educated,  in  part,  by  this  man.  He  taught  and  lived  in 
loyalty  to  the  principle  which  the  Celtic  race  has  con- 
tributed to  civilization:  "He  is  a  friend  of  mine  and 
that's  enough." 

Dr.  Scannell  says :  — 

It  was  my  privilege  to  serve  as  house  officer  under 
Dr.  Gavin,  at  the  Boston  City  Hospital,  for  something 
over  two  years;  and  later,  as  a  subordinate  colleague, 
it  was  my  further  privilege  to  be  associated  with  him 
for  some  six  or  seven  years  more.  Dr.  Gavin  furnished 
a  lasting  and  splendid  example  of  what  should  consti- 
tute the  ideal  relationship  between  doctor  and  patient. 
Never  impatient,  never  discourteous,  never  in  too 
much  of  a  hurry  to  listen  to  a  proper  history,  he  was  a 
constant  and  impressive  example  of  kindness.    In  a 

91 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

hospital  organization  where  the  stress  and  pressure  and 
amount  of  work  tended  to  transform  the  resident 
medical  staff  into  mere  automatic  machines,  forgetful 
of  the  humanitarian  side  of  medicine,  he  served,  for 
those  who  were  prone  to  forget,  as  a  reminder  that 
medicine,  practised  only  as  a  science,  must  fall  far 
short  of  its  highest  and  truest  ideals. 

It  was  also  characteristic  of  Dr.  Gavin  that  he  ab- 
horred anything  that  savored  of  the  slightest  de- 
parture from  the  truth.  Merciful  and  considerate  to 
all,  he  had  no  place  in  his  regard  for  the  man  who 
would  deliberately  lie.  I  cannot  remember  that  I  ever 
saw  Dr.  Gavin  lose  his  equanimity  and  poise  except 
on  those  occasions,  happily  few,  when  he  found  that 
some  one  had  told  him  a  downright  lie;  and  then  his 
few  words  were  disturbingly  cutting.  In  his  dealings 
with  his  patients,  he  cared  not  what  their  religious  be- 
liefs might  be,  so  long  as  the  sick  individuals  were  not 
disrespectful  toward  God,  nor  in  the  slightest  degree 
sacrilegious. 

He  was  the  constant  friend  of  the  house  officer,  and 
was  never  too  busy  to  offer  him  his  best  judgment  and 
counsel  as  to  his  future.  In  a  similar  way  he  was  of 
great  assistance  to  his  colleagues,  because  of  his 
sound  judgment  and  conservative  methods.  During 
the  latter  years  of  his  life,  the  actual  performance  of 
surgery  interested  him  but  little,  and  he  was  quite 
content  to  allow  the  work  to  be  done  by  the  younger 
men.  During  these  years,  he  seemed  to  take  a  greater 
interest  than  ever  in  the  care  of  patients  in  the  wards, 
after  operations  had  been  performed.  I  am  certain 
that  no  house  officer  on  Dr.  Gavin's  service  will  ever  for- 
get him  for  his  splendid  example  of  courtesy,  patience, 
and  all  those  qualities  which  go  to  make  up  a  true 
"gentleman  of  the  old  school." 

92 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

So,  to  summarize  Dr.  Gavin's  professional  career, 
there  is  the  testimony  of  his  colleagues  and  asso- 
ciates as  to  his  skill  and  ability  in  all  branches  of 
his  profession ;  as  a  surgeon,  a  physician,  a  diag- 
nostician ;  as  to  his  broadness  and  many-sidedness 
in  his  work,  as  to  his  experience  and  knowledge, 
and  his  preparation  and  thoroughness.  All  those 
who  were  brought  in  contact  with  him  profes- 
sionally acknowledge  his  right  to  be  called  eminent 
in  his  calling.  Honored  alike  by  his  profession  and 
the  public,  he  earned  the  place  that  he  made  and 
continued  to  hold. 

But  there  was  much  more  than  his  skill  and  repu- 
tation. Dr.  Gavin's  career  really  began  only  when 
he  had  mastered  the  equipment,  so  to  speak,  and 
the  experience  of  his  calling.  When  he  was  able 
to  use  this  knowledge,  without  hesitation  or  effort, 
merely  as  a  means,  not  as  an  end,  then  he  reached 
his  true  work,  the  life  he  was  so  wonderfully  fitted 
for, — the  art,  as  Dr.  Cotton  says,  of  "getting  sick 
folk  well."  Here  was  the  true  fulfillment  of  his 
life's  work.  Not  medicine  first,  but  true  feeling, 
and  encouragement  and  sympathy  for  the  patient; 
and  then  medicine,  and  the  skill  of  the  physician. 
He  had  no  wish  for  professional  fame  as  a  brilliant 
surgeon  or  as  a  renowned  consultant.  He  never 
considered  himself  at  all  in  this  regard,  for  all  his 
efforts  were  directed  —  and  his  skill  revealed  itself 

93 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

only  in  those  efforts  —  to  doing  what  good  he 
could  for  those  who  suffered.  Surely  such  is  the 
life  of  an  ideal  physician,  a  true  realization  of  that 
wonderful  calling,  "to  heal  the  sick." 


CHAPTER  IX 

BUSINESS  AND   SOCIAL  ACTIVITIES 
HOME,   RECREATIONS,  LIBRARY 

Dr.  GAVIN  was  so  busily  engaged  in  the  prac- 
tice of  his  profession  that  he  had,  of  necessity,  lit- 
tle time  to  spare  for  other  interests.  Yet  in  his 
position  it  was  inevitable  that  he  should  be  urged 
from  time  to  time  to  serve  upon  this  or  that  direc- 
torate, or  board  of  trustees  ;  and  occasionally,  when 
he  felt  that  his  acceptance  might  be  of  some  real 
benefit,  he  drew  still  further  upon  his  already 
diminished  leisure,  and  cheerfully  added  another 
care  to  those  which  he  already  had  shouldered. 
Thus,  as  has  been  previously  noted,  he  not  only 
served  as  a  trustee  of  the  Boston  City  Hospital 
from  1879  to  1885,  but  in  addition,  when  the  Mat- 
tapan  Deposit  and  Trust  Company  was  organized 
in  1892,  he  was  chosen  as  one  of  its  directors,  and 
for  over  twenty  years  remained  upon  the  board, 
always  displaying  an  active  and  intelligent  in- 
terest in  the  transaction  of  the  company's  affairs. 
In  the  words  of  Ezra  H.  Baker,  the  president  of 
the  company :  — 

"  His  constant  attendance  at  the  meetings,  his  ad- 
95 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

vice  always  kindly  given,  his  unfailing  courtesy  and 
his  devoted  loyalty  to  the  company  and  its  officers 
made  him  a  most  valuable  director.  His  long  years 
of  service  have  left  us  only  the  happiest  and  the 
sweetest  memories,  and  our  companionship  with  him 
must  have  influenced  us  all  for  the  better.  It  is  of  no 
little  benefit  to  have  sat  for  over  twenty  years  by  the 
side  of  one  who,  while  showing  every  consideration 
for  the  opinions  of  others,  was  conspicuous  for  his 
loyalty  to  his  profession,  his  country,  his  friends  and 
his  faith." 

Dr.  Gavin  was  also  elected,  in  May,  1872,  a  trus- 
tee of  the  Union  Institution  for  Savings  in  Boston, 
and  held  this  office  for  forty-three  years,  until  his 
death,  displaying  again  his  ability  and  earnestness 
in  looking  after  the  duties  he  had  undertaken  to 
perform. 

A  point  of  interest  with  regard  to  Dr.  Gavin 
was  his  non-participation  in  public  life.  He  ab- 
horred notoriety.  He  lived  for  his  profession  and 
for  his  family,  and  he  had  no  desire  to  strive  for 
honors,  either  in  the  business  or  in  the  political 
world.  Yet  this  very  reticence  and  the  knowledge 
on  the  part  of  the  Doctor's  fellow  citizens  that  he 
did  not  desire  anything,  made  his  influence  all  the 
greater.  His  opinion  was  looked  for  and  valued 
in  his  city,  and  his  name  was  sought  on  many 
committees.  His  suggestions  and  recommenda- 
tions on  the  few  occasions  when  he  made  them, 
were  listened  to  with  a  respect  and  an  attention 

96 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

never  vouchsafed  to  those  who  were  known  to  be 
working  merely  for  their  own  selfish  ends. 

In  regard  to  social  life,  Dr.  Gavin,  as  has  been 
said,  could  not  be  regarded  in  the  light  of  what  is 
termed  "a  club  man."  This,  however,  was  not 
because  of  anything  misanthropic  in  his  make-up, 
for  he  was  the  most  friendly  and  sociable  of  men  ; 
but  was  due  solely  to  the  fact  that  as  a  busy  phy- 
sician in  his  profession,  and  as  a  man  who  spent 
what  leisure  he  possessed  in  the  enjoyment  of  an 
ideally  happy  family  life,  he  had  little  time  for  other 
interests.  With  the  Doctor's  wide  circle  of  ac- 
quaintance, however,  it  was  inevitable  that  he 
should  be  asked  to  join  various  clubs,  even  if  he 
had  time  to  visit  them  but  seldom;  and  so  for  many 
years  he  was  a  member  of  the  Boston  Athletic 
Association,  and  a  member  of  the  Papyrus  Club, 
from  those  golden  days  when  upon  its  rolls  were 
the  names  of  John  Boyle  O'Reilly,  James  Jeffrey 
Roche,  Robert  Grant,  George  Parsons  Lathrop, 
Thomas  Russell  Sullivan,  Francis  A.  Harris,  George 
F.  Babbitt,  Robert  Dwyer  Joyce,  Thomas  Went- 
worth  Higginson,  John  T.  Trowbridge,  Martin 
Millmore,  and  many  others  well  known  to  all  lov- 
ers of  literature  and  art.  These  men  were  friends 
—  most  of  them  intimate  friends  —  of  Dr.  Gavin, 
and  many  were  the  brilliant  evenings  spent  at 
club  dinners  in  those  early  days,  after  Francis  H. 

97 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Underwood  and  Dr.  Joyce  proposed  Dr.  Gavin's 
name  for  membership. 

In  1888,  Dr.  Gavin  purchased  the  house  at  546 
Broadway,  South  Boston,  which  he  occupied  for 
the  remainder  of  his  life.  Here,  perhaps,  the  hap- 
piest years  of  all  his  life  were  spent,  for  here  his 
family  grew  up  around  him.  Assured  of  a  large 
practice,  he  was  here  fully  able  to  gratify  his  tastes 
and  inclinations  for  the  beautiful  and  the  refined 
in  his  surroundings. 

Home  always  meant  much  to  Dr.  Gavin.  The 
broadness  of  his  interests  entered  here  as  well, 
and  the  objects  with  which  he  surrounded  himself 
were  the  results  of  his  personal  tastes  and  selec- 
tion. The  ornaments,  pictures,  clocks,  bronzes, 
had  all  been  purchased  by  him  with  thoughtful 
care;  and  to  return  in  the  evening  after  a  long 
day's  work  and  find  himself  surrounded  by  all 
these  things,  his  own  selections,  meant  much  more 
to  him  than  it  could  possibly  have  meant  to  other 
men,  whose  interests  were  elsewhere,  and  whose 
tastes  were  not  capable  of  such  an  appreciation. 
But  the  inmates  of  his  home,  his  family,  meant 
most  of  all  to  him,  for  he  truly  loved  his  family, 
and  loved  to  be  with  them. 

So  it  was,  that  546  Broadway  came  to  mean  all 
that  it  did  to  Dr.  Gavin.  Here  his  already  large 
library  was  still  further  increased,  and  received  a 

98 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

place  worthy  of  its  value.  His  taste  in  art  could 
here  be  satisfied,  and  the  paintings  and  engrav- 
ings which  he  had  collected  with  so  much  care 
and  thought,  could  here  hang  as  he  wished  to  see 
them.  There  was  room  for  his  collection  of  furni- 
ture and  souvenirs,  none  of  any  great  intrinsic 
value  in  themselves,  but  all  a  reflection  of  his  own 
distinctive,  unique,  but  perfect  taste,  which  charac- 
terized everything  he  bought.  It  was  here  that  he 
enjoyed  so  many  happy  hours  in  his  library.  With 
his  cigar,  so  characteristic  of  him  in  his  home  life, 
surrounded  by  his  books  and  his  collections,  he 
could  at  last  enjoy  some  of  the  material  comforts 
that  had  come  to  him  with  all  the  good  that  he  had 
done  for  others. 

But  also  Dr.  Gavin  loved  his  home  because  it 
gave  him  a  fitting  place  in  which  to  receive  and 
entertain  his  friends,  and  the  friends  of  his  family. 
It  was  always  a  pleasure  to  him  to  have  guests 
beneath  his  roof,  and  he  received  them  with  the 
courtly  and  hospitable  bearing  of  the  true  gentle- 
man. Persons  without  number  who  were  fortunate 
enough  in  the  past  to  have  broken  bread  with  Dr. 
Gavin  speak  with  the  utmost  enthusiasm  of  the 
delightfully  hospitable  tone  of  those  occasions.  "It 
was  a  most  hospitable  home,  and  Dr.  Gavin  was 
an  ideal  host,"  says  Miss  Conway. 

It  was  here  at  his  own  board  that  Dr.  Gavin 
99 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

displayed  more  freely  than  anywhere  else  his  really 
unusual  powers  as  a  conversationalist.  The  sub- 
ject, to  be  sure,  had  to  be  to  his  liking ;  he  had 
small  relish  for  the  trivialities  of  gossip ;  but  let 
the  talk  turn  upon  books,  or  music,  or  history,  or 
upon  the  world's  great  wars,  or  upon  any  genuine 
movement  of  interest,  and  the  doctor  would  dis- 
course with  knowledge  and  wisdom  and  charm, 
drawing  upon  the  storehouse  of  a  well-stocked  and 
retentive  memory  to  furnish  an  illustration,  or  to 
prove  an  argument.  His  manner  of  conversation 
was  always  frank  and  unaffected,  and  few  subjects 
of  importance  could  be  discussed  with  which  he 
did  not  show  a  close  acquaintance.  Possessed  of  a 
deep  fund  of  humor,  and  a  keen  but  kindly  wit,  he 
was  able  to  derive  much  enjoyment  from  the  hu- 
morous side  of  existence,  and  when  he  chose,  he 
could  enliven  his  conversation  with  a  story  or  an- 
ecdote, in  which  the  humor  would  be  suggested 
with  incomparable  delicacy. 

The  broad  scope  of  Dr.  Gavin's  conversation  is 
illustrated  by  Mrs.  P.  A.  Collins,  widow  of  the  late 
Mayor  of  Boston,  Patrick  A.  Collins,  with  whom, 
and  with  whose  family  Dr.  Gavin  was  for  many 
years  on  terms  of  friendly  intimacy.  She  says :  — 

Honored  by  his  associates,  in  a  profession  to  which 
he  himself  gave  honor,  few  outside  it  can  add  to  his 
high  record  of  achievement  as  a  doctor  of  medicine. 

ioo 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN   GAVIN 

It  is  the  man,  the  friend,  who  claims  us  most  of  all, 
as  we  knew  him  since  the  early  seventies;  the  kindly, 
cheerful,  cultured  gentleman  whose  broad  and  catholic 
mind  embraced  an  intimate  and  comprehensive  knowl- 
edge of  the  fine  arts.  Indeed  it  was  always  a  source  of 
wonder  to  us,  how  he  could,  in  a  life  so  crowded  with 
professional  achievements,  find  time  to  keep  pace  with 
all  that  was  best  in  literature,  music,  and  art.  Dr. 
Gavin  at  home  and  abroad  was  the  center  of  a  circle 
of  congenial  friends  who  will  forever  hold  his  memory 
in  affectionate  regard. 

Both  Doctor  and  Mrs.  Gavin  were  widely  known 
for  their  hospitality,  and  for  the  pleasure  which 
they  felt  in  entertaining  friends.  Visiting  at  their 
house  was  sure  to  be  a  pleasure,  and  here  might  be 
met  most  interesting  people,  for  Dr.  Gavin's  inter- 
ests were  wide,  and  his  friends  and  acquaintances 
were  scattered  over  the  globe.  Professional  men, 
men  of  business,  musicians,  artists,  writers,  all 
were  to  be  found  there  at  times,  and,  as  Miss 
Conway  adds,  "  He  had  many  friends  among  the 
bishops  and  priests  throughout  the  country.  One 
might  meet  at  his  house  a  missionary  bishop  from 
the  far  East  or  the  Philippines,  or  the  Metropolitan 
of  an  American  see." 

Among  some  of  Dr.  Gavin's  more  intimate 
friends  were  John  Boyle  O'Reilly,  Monsignor  Wm. 
Byrne,  D.  D.,  Monsignor  Denis  O'Callaghan,  Rev. 
J.  J.  McNulty,  Hon.  P.  A.  Collins,  Thomas  J.  Gar- 
gan,  "Tom"  Riley,  Michael  Anagnos,  of  the  Per- 

101 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

kins  Institution  for  the  Blind,  who  for  years  was  a 
near  neighbor,  and  many  others  ;  true  friends,  all 
of  them,  whose  companionship  Dr.  Gavin  loved. 

The  doctor  greatly  enjoyed  his  several  trips  to 
Europe.  After  he  commenced  practice  in  1867,  he 
made  one  short  and  hurried  visit  to  his  old  home 
in  1870;  and  after  that  it  was  not  until  1883  that 
he  was  able  to  take  the  time  to  visit  the  Continent. 
In  that  year  he  enjoyed  a  hurried  but  comprehen- 
sive trip  with  Mrs.  Gavin,  through  most  of  the  im- 
portant countries  of  Europe,  and  great  indeed  was 
his  delight  to  see  actually,  for  the  first  time,  many 
of  the  battlefields  of  history,  and  the  treasures  of 
art  with  which  he  was  already  so  familiar  through 
his  library.  Not  until  1902  could  he  again  steal  three 
months  from  the  incessant  demands  of  his  work ; 
and  this  time,  he  was  able  to  show  all  of  his  family 
some  of  the  same  sights  he  had  seen  almost  twenty 
years  before. 

With  regard  to  recreation,  the  Doctor's  views 
were  again  characteristic.  He  worked  hard  him- 
self, yet  he  realized  that  both  body  and  mind,  to 
be  at  their  best,  must  be  constantly  relaxed,  re- 
plenished, and  refreshed.  He  himself  gained  relax- 
ation chiefly  from  his  books,  to  be  soon  mentioned, 
but  he  was,  at  the  same  time,  a  lover  of  out-of- 
doors,  of  nature,  and  of  wholesome  sport.  In  his 
youth  he  liked  to  sail  and  row,  to  swim  and  dive. 

102 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

He  was  extremely  fond  of  riding  during-  his  early 
practice,  and  through  all  his  active  life,  enjoyed 
driving  himself,  and  his  horse  was  always  a  pleas- 
ure to  him.  Handball  was  a  favorite  pastime  with 
him ;  he  played  it  in  his  youth,  and  in  later  life 
with  his  children  and  his  friends,  and  was  always 
a  dangerous  competitor,  since  he  was  equally  skill- 
ful with  his  right  hand  and  with  his  left.  He  was, 
in  fact,  naturally  adapted  to  sports  or  games,  where 
the  same  qualities  necessary  for  success  in  surgery 
are  required,  namely,  a  cool  head,  a  steady  hand, 
and  ability  to  study  a  subject  and  learn  the  proper 
mode  in  which  to  master  it  as  well  as  the  great 
faculty  of  never  becoming  disheartened  or  con- 
fused, but  of  keeping  one's  self  in  constant  readi- 
ness to  meet  a  difficult  situation  with  courage  and 
confidence.  He  was  also  a  good  bowler  and  played 
a  fair  game  of  billiards.  Yet  he  took  none  of  these 
amusements  seriously ;  his  higher  enthusiasms  he 
reserved  for  Nature.  Here,  the  wonder  and  the 
beauty  of  the  world  called  forth  all  the  reverence 
of  the  capacity  for  admiration  in  the  Doctor's  heart. 
He  loved  the  glory  of  the  sunset,  the  mystery  of 
the  dawn,  the  great  clouds  in  the  heavens,  the  im- 
mensity of  the  constellations,  the  delicate  verdure 
of  field  and  forest,  the  magnificent  pageant  of  the 
changing  year.  Tree  and  flower,  bird  and  beast, 
he  knew  them  all  by  name,  and  delighted  to  wit- 

103 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

ness  God's  handiwork,  and  to  see  each  separate 
portion  of  the  universe  uniting  to  complete  the 
vast  and  well-ordered  whole. 

So  it  was,  that,  after  his  illness  in  1886,  Dr. 
Gavin  gladly  welcomed  his  friend  Dr.  Whittier's 
suggestion  of  a  vacation,  and  began  those  fishing 
and  hunting  trips  in  which  he  took  so  much  de- 
light and  enjoyment  and  which  brought  him  so 
many  pleasant  companionships  and  happy  memo- 
ries. 

The  first  trip  was  made  in  the  spring  of  1887, 
when  Father  McNulty,  Father  Wilson,  "Dan" 
Barry,  and  Dr.  Gavin  went  to  Lake  Mooselookma- 
guntic.  At  that  time  the  interior  of  Maine  was 
sparsely  settled  and  everything  was  more  primi- 
tive than  it  is  at  the  present  day.  The  party  left 
Boston  on  a  Monday  morning,  arriving  at  the 
Elmwood  Hotel  at  Phillips  in  the  evening ;  and 
after  spending  the  night  there,  went  on  the  next 
morning  by  stage,  and  reached  Rangeley  about 
eleven  o'clock  in  the  forenoon.  After  lunch  they 
crossed  the  lake  by  steamer,  walked  in  through  the 
woods,  a  rough  road  in  those  days,  and  about  four 
o'clock  in  the  afternoon  reached  Lake  Mooselook- 
maguntic,  their  final  destination.  Here  they  estab- 
lished headquarters  and  they  made  daily  fishing 
trips  in  various  directions.  A  favorite  route  of  Dr. 
Gavin's  from  this  camp  was  to  start  in  the  morn- 

104 


IN   CAMP   AT   "THE    BIRCHES' 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

ing,  equipped  with  luncheon,  and  fish  leisurely- 
down  to  Bemis,  where  he  would  spend  the  night 
and  on  the  following  day  fish  back  over  the  same 
ground,  arriving  at  the  camp  in  the  evening. 

The  initial  trip,  in  1887,  was  so  successful  and 
enjoyable  that  it  was  supplemented,  that  fall,  by  a 
hunting  trip  to  Phillips,  Maine,  and  from  then  on, 
for  nearly  twenty  years,  these  outings  became  a 
regular  semi-annual  event  in  Dr.  Gavin's  life  and 
proved  of  the  utmost  benefit  to  him.  Many  were 
the  camps  the  travelers  visited ;  even  if  the  fishing 
or  hunting  had  proved  excellent  the  year  before, 
their  spirit  of  exploration  led  them  continually  to 
try  new  fields,  and  few  were  the  out-of-the-way 
corners  of  Maine  where  hunting  or  fishing  was 
good,  that  they  did  not  know.  Some  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  party  were  not  able  to  go  every  year, 
but  the  nucleus  comprised  Dr.  Gavin,  Father  Mc- 
Nulty,  and  "  Dan  "  Barry,  none  of  whom  missed  a 
semi-annual  trip  until  the  sickness  and  death  of 
Father  McNulty  ended  them  for  all  time. 

Once  embarked  upon  the  train,  from  the  North 
Station,  Dr.  Gavin  seemed  absolutely  to  leave  all 
care  and  responsibility  behind  him  and  enjoyed 
himself  as  though  a  boy  again.  Indeed,  the  pre- 
vailing atmosphere  of  those  trips  was  one  of  mirth 
and  genial  jollity.  Occasionally,  however,  an  event 
of  a  more  serious  nature  would  intervene ;  as  when, 

105 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

on  a  camping  expedition,  Dr.  Gavin  was  once 
aroused  at  midnight  to  cross  the  lake,  and  go  with 
such  remedies  as  he  had  at  hand  to  the  assist- 
ance of  a  fellow  sportsman  who  had  been  seized 
with  a  sudden  and  dangerous  illness.  The  vigil 
lasted  all  night,  and  it  was  not  until  after  sunrise 
that  Dr.  Gavin  returned,  thoroughly  wearied  but 
happy  in  the  knowledge  that  he  had  saved  his  fel- 
low camper's  life.  Another  incident  is  told  of  the 
Doctor's  being  hurriedly  summoned  to  cross  the 
lake  again  upon  a  surgical  case.  No  surgeon's 
knife  was  available  but  the  operation,  performed 
with  an  ordinary  camp  knife,  proved  entirely  suc- 
cessful. 

The  letters  from  Dr.  Gavin  written  on  these  trips 
showed  an  active  interest  in  sport,  and  here  again 
his  natural  aptitude  stood  by  him,  for  his  keen  eye 
and  cool  hand  made  him  an  excellent,  almost  a 
"dead  sure"  shot;  but  they  revealed  even  more 
his  love  for  Nature,  and  his  delight  to  be  out  in 
her  wilds.  Here  it  was  that  everything  interested 
him:  the  growing  things  of  every  description,  the 
names  of  almost  all  of  which  he  knew,  the  birds, 
the  smaller  animals  that  might  appear  near  the 
camp,  even  the  habits  of  the  fish  themselves ;  so 
that,  although  started  at  first  by  chance  upon  these 
trips,  he  found  them,  once  undertaken,  eminently 
suited  to  his  nature  and  tastes. 

106 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Throughout  the  whole  of  Dr.  Gavin's  life  he  had 
an  intensely  strong  love  for  music.  In  his  bachelor 
days  he  played  much  upon  the  piano,  and  even 
for  a  while  tried  the  violin,  although  these  accom- 
plishments slipped  away  from  him  under  the  pres- 
sure of  later  work.  The  intense  eagerness  to  hear 
opera  which  he  displayed  in  those  early  days  con- 
tinued through  his  later  life,  and  many  were  the 
enjoyable  evenings  at  his  house  when  music  was 
played  for  music's  sake  alone. 

Together  with  Dr.  Gavin's  love  of  music  should 
be  noted  his  fondness  for  flowers.  As  early  as  his 
twentieth  year  there  is  evidence  of  an  established 
bent  in  this  direction,  which  continued  throughout 
his  life  ;  and  when  he  first  moved  to  his  new  house 
at  99  Broadway,  he  commenced  to  improve  his 
garden  in  the  rear  of  the  house.  His  letters  on  the 
growth  and  success  of  his  enterprise  are  both  in- 
teresting and  illuminating  in  the  light  which  they 
throw  upon  his  tastes  and  inclinations ;  and  when 
he  moved  to  546  Broadway,  his  garden  there  was 
again  a  pleasure  to  him.  A  love  of  flowers  such  as 
his  was  surely  in  perfect  harmony  with  his  life. 

There  remains  finally  to  be  considered,  under 
the  head  of  recreation,  what  was  undoubtedly,  out- 
side of  his  family  and  his  profession,  the  strongest 
interest  in  Dr.  Gavin's  life,  namely,  his  library.  It 
was  a  large  one,  but  was  not  ordered  by  the  foot 

107 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

or  yard  to  harmonize  with  the  color-scheme  of  the 
room,  like  the  libraries  of  which  Mr.  MacGregor 
Jenkins  tells;  every  book  in  it  was  the  Doctor's 
personal  selection,  and  had  been  read,  or  partially 
read  at  least,  by  him.  He  knew  his  books  as  he 
knew  his  intimate  friends ;  he  knew  the  place  each 
occupied  on  his  shelves ;  he  could  turn  to  chapter 
or  page  to  verify  a  quotation,  or  to  find  a  favorite 
passage.  Great  was  his  contentment,  when  in  the 
evenings  he  could  sit  in  his  library,  always  with 
his  companionable  cigar,  and  read  for  several 
hours.  It  was  invariably  his  custom  to  have  sev- 
eral books  to  finish  at  the  same  time.  He  never 
read  through  one  until  it  was  finished,  but  would 
begin  a  new  one  while  several  others  were  yet  un- 
read, and  so  carry  them  along  together,  perhaps 
reading  from  one  during  a  few  minutes  snatched 
at  the  end  of  a  busy  morning,  from  another  for 
half  an  hour  in  the  late  afternoon,  and  probably 
finishing  a  third  in  the  evening.  The  result  was, 
that  the  space  around  his  favorite  chair  was  al- 
ways piled  high  with  books :  those  in  process  of 
being  read,  those  about  to  be  read,  and  those  just 
finished;  while  on  the  chair  itself  would  generally 
lie  some  of  the  many  magazines  to  which  the  Doc- 
tor was  a  subscriber,  and  which  helped  to  keep  up 
his  knowledge  of  the  march  of  the  world's  events. 
His  range  of  reading  was,  of  course,  extremely 
108 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

wide.  To  him  reading  was  the  greatest  of  pleas- 
ures. He  read  though,  not  only  for  his  enjoyment, 
but  to  broaden  his  mind,  to  increase  his  knowl- 
edge of  events,  places,  and  things,  to  render  his 
mind  even  more  active,  to  be  better  able  to  cope 
with  the  vexing  problems  of  daily  life,  to  further 
his  knowledge  of  all  that  was  enjoyable,  good,  and 
useful  in  life. 

His  fondness  for  literature  pertaining  to  Ireland 
has  already  been  mentioned,  and  his  collection  of 
books  on  Ireland  was  one  of  the  most  complete 
that  could  be  found ;  but  it  was  not  alone  the  story 
of  his  native  land  that  attracted  him ;  and  he  was 
an  eager  student  of  all  history,  both  ancient  and 
modern.  Upon  his  shelves  were  Gibbon  and  Mot- 
ley, Green  and  Guizot,  Prescott  and  Parkman, 
Fiske  and  Carlyle.  With  regard  to  American  his- 
tory he  centralized  his  attention  upon  the  conflict 
between  the  North  and  the  South,  in  which  he  him- 
self had  borne  a  part.  Nor  was  there  anything 
partisan  in  his  attitude ;  he  appreciated  the  sin- 
cerity and  the  ability  of  the  Confederate  leaders, 
and  read  and  studied  the  careers,  not  only  of  Grant 
and  Sherman  and  Sheridan,  but  also  of  Longstreet 
and  Jackson,  of  Jefferson  Davis  and  Robert  E.  Lee. 
Thus  he  was  thoroughly  well  informed  with  regard 
to  the  history  of  those  times.  In  the  words  of  Mr. 
James  E.  Cotter,  "  I  know  of  no  man  who  could  de- 

109 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

scribe  more  vividly  and  more  interestingly  events 
which  transpired  during  the  Civil  War.  He  was 
apparently  familiar  with  every  standard  work  writ- 
ten on  that  subject,  and  had  a  remarkable  faculty 
of  portraying  the  principal  characteristics  of  nearly 
all  of  the  Union  commanders." 

Biography  and  autobiography  were  also  most 
interesting  to  Dr.  Gavin.  He  collected  the  works 
of  soldiers,  statesmen,  artists,  scientists,  saints,  and 
travelers ;  Plutarch's  Lives,  the  diaries  of  Pepys 
and  Evelyn,  Bos  well's  Johnson,  Chesterfield's  Let- 
ters,—  all  of  these  he  enjoyed;  while  for  Napo- 
leon's genius  in  particular,  he  had  the  greatest 
admiration.  He  possessed  many  volumes  dealing 
with  the  famous  Corsican's  career,  and  it  was  char- 
acteristic of  his  thoroughness  and  openminded- 
ness,  that  on  one  of  his  trips  to  Europe  he  took 
pains  to  visit  the  field  of  Waterloo  twice,  the  first 
time  with  an  English  guide,  the  second  with  a 
French  one. 

Dr.  Gavin  read  his  books  to  remember.  He 
pondered  over  the  information  he  gained,  and  he 
appreciated  it.  It  was  stored  away  in  his  retentive 
memory,  to  be  used  in  earning  his  reputation  as  a 
conversationalist,  or  for  the  broadening  and  deep- 
ening of  the  powers  of  his  judgment.  It  is  almost 
impossible  to  choose  and  select,  in  an  attempt  to 
give  an  idea  of  his  taste  in  reading.   He  was  truly 

no 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

omnivorous,  to  use  the  term  for  his  general  read- 
ing which  Dr.  Cotton  has  applied  to  his  profes- 
sional reading,  with  the  single  qualification  that 
he  cared  not  at  all  for  literary  "trash"  and  had  no 
curiosity  to  read  so-called  "popular"  books.  His 
taste  was  always  for  works  worth  while,  either  in 
subject-matter  or  in  style,  and  his  paramount  de- 
sire was  to  acquaint  himself,  in  Arnold's  phrase, 
with  "  the  best  that  is  known  and  thought  in  the 
world." 

Practically  every  department  of  human  art  and 
knowledge  was  represented  in  his  library  :  Religion, 
Science,  Travel,  Music,  Architecture,  Art,  History, 
Fiction,  Poetry,  Literary  History,  and  Criticism. 
The  Doctor  had  an  interest  in  all  these  subjects. 
Addison,  Bacon,  De  Quincey,  Hunt,  Ruskin,  Haz- 
litt,  Macaulay,  Lamb,  and  Holmes,  were  among  his 
essayists  :  Lytton,  George  Eliot,  Balzac,  Hugo,  De 
Maupassant,  Thackeray,  Irving,  Dickens,  Cooper, 
Goldsmith,  Poe,  Lever,  Dumas,  and  Hawthorne 
among  the  novelists.  Shakespeare  stood  supreme 
in  his  regard  among  the  poets,  but  there  were  as 
well,  the  works  of  Milton,  Pope,  Byron,  Burns, 
Coleridge,  Chaucer,  Moore,  Wordsworth,  Tenny- 
son, Whittier,  Dryden,  Holmes,  Goethe,  Dante, 
Lowell,  Scott,  Virgil,  and  Longfellow. 

In  addition,  however,  to  the  works  of  the  great 
authors,  which  every  booklover  admires,  and  en- 

iii 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

deavors  to  include  in  his  collection,  there  were 
hundreds  of  other  books,  which,  gathered  into  Dr. 
Gavin's  library,  were  a  visual  evidence  of  the 
broadness  of  his  tastes  and  interests.  Books  by 
friends  like  Richard  Malcolm  Johnson,  or  Jane 
Barlow,  or  Mary  Elizabeth  Blake,  or  John  Boyle 
O'Reilly,  or  by  the  children  of  the  friends  in  whom 
he  took  a  great  interest,  as  Myra  Kelly  or  Hal 
Godfrey.  Books  on  modern  inventions  and  sciences 
in  which  it  might  hardly  be  supposed  the  Doctor 
would  have  been  interested,  but  all  of  which  he  had 
read.  Joel  Chandler  Harris's  "  Uncle  Remus"  stor- 
ies, the  Jungle  Books  of  Kipling,  and  the  books  of 
Ernest  Thompson  Seton,  which  the  Doctor  loved 
to  read  to  his  children;  and  he  himself  loved 
stories  of  animals,  even  simple  stories,  when  well- 
written,  of  dogs,  or  birds,  or  bears,  and  hunting; 
and  very  many  were  his  books  on  exploration  and 
adventure.  Tales  of  the  Maine  woods,  and  the 
wilds  of  the  Canadian  Northwest;  Dr.  Fridtjof 
Nansen's  Farthest  North,  and  Du  Chaillu's  Wild 
Life  under  the  Equator ;  Two  Years  Before  the  Mast, 
Stanley's  and  Livingston's  works,  and  books  of 
cruises  and  travel  to  all  parts  of  the  world,  —  all 
these  representing  Dr.  Gavin's  love  of  this  par- 
ticular branch  of  reading.  There  were  books  of 
travel  in  civilized  lands,  on  the  scenery  of  Switzer- 
land and  Norway,  Scenes  in  Holland,  The  Great 

112 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Cathedrals  of  Europe,  and  The  West  from  a  Car 
Window.  Books  for  his  children  were  there  in  pro- 
fusion :  the  fairy  stories  of  Hans  Christian  Andersen, 
and  Grimm,  and  Andrew  Lang ;  the  books  of  Louisa 
M.  Alcott  and  Bret  Harte,  Peter  Parley's  and  Oliver 
Optic's  Annuals;  and  then  the  books  of  G.  A. 
Henty  and  Thomas  W.  Knox,  for  them  to  read  a 
little  later  on.  There  were  books  on  art  and  music ; 
The  Music  of  the  Modern  World,  besides  bound 
copies  of  Le  Monde  Illustre',  to  which  Paris  journal 
he  had  been  a  subscriber  for  years,  the  French 
poets,  books  on  military  tactics,  The  North  Ameri- 
can Indian,  The  Wealth  of  Nations,  The  American 
Electoral  System,  The  Confessions  of  St.  Augustine, 
mythology,  memoirs,  archaeology,  and  books  on 
special  periods  of  history.  Famous  Sayings,  the 
Arabian  Nights,  and  books  of  special  interest  on 
historical  places.  A  select  few  of  the  more  modern 
novels,  as  Quo  Vadis,  and  David  Harum,  which 
latter  the  Doctor  really  enjoyed;  Kipling's  Plain 
Tales  and  some  of  Winston  Churchill's  books.  Very 
old  copies  of  Horace  and  Cicero  and  Caesar,  picked 
up  by  Dr.  Gavin  during  the  time  of  his  study  in  Paris, 
stood  beside  modern  editions  of  Homer,  and  the 
Greek  dramatists.  Marion  Crawford's  works,  and 
the  books  of  Mrs.  Hugh  Frazer,  both  of  which 
writers  Dr.  Gavin  liked  ;  the  biography  of  Cardinal 
Vaughan,  and  the  life  of  Disraeli;  the  works  of 

113 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Canon  Sheehan,  and  some  of  the  more  recent  books 
of  Robert  Hugh  Benson  and  Asycough.  A  won- 
derful collection,  covering  a  vast  variety  of  sub- 
jects, and  ranging  from  the  earliest  literature  to 
the  good  works  of  the  present  day. 

The  Doctor's  collection  of  medical  works  was 
quite  as  complete  and  as  thorough  as  his  general 
library.  All  the  standard  works  were  there,  but 
they  again  only  formed  a  small  part  of  the  whole. 
With  the  same  discriminating  taste,  he  added  to 
his  medical  library  a  variety  of  books  covering  the 
greatest  possible  field,  and  of  the  greatest  possible 
interest. 

And  thus  Dr.  Gavin's  library  was  formed,  —  a 
tribute  to  the  depth  and  bigness  of  his  life.  He 
could  well  indeed  have  borrowed  Lowell's  phrase, 
and  have  said  of  himself,  "I  am  a  bookman." 


CHAPTER  X 

HIS   CHARACTER 

Dr.  Gavin  possessed  a  wonderful  personality. 
It  revealed  primarily  his  sincerity  and  his  love  of 
truth.  He  was  sincere  with  his  Creator,  sincere 
with  himself,  and  sincere  with  every  one  with  whom 
he  was  brought  in  contact.  This  sincerity  was  ex- 
traordinary in  its  absolute  freedom  from  any  ulte- 
rior motives. 

A  crystal  mind,  a  shining  soul,  an  integral  being,  a 
clear-cut  personality  [writes  a  friend].  He  was  always 
what  he  seemed  to  be.  If  we  had  a  peerage,  that  ought 
to  be  the  test,  and  how  few  peers  we  should  have !  He 
had  a  clear  perception  of  the  existence  and  the  omni- 
presence of  God,  and  from  this  resulted  his  sincerity, 
his  love  of  reality,  and  of  truth.  He  had  a  clear  native 
insight  into  existence,  and  was  conscious  that  he  was 
a  part  of  it;  this  explains  his  self-poise,  his  dignity,  his 
balanced  judgment  and  also  the  persistence  of  those 
traits  during  the  last  stern  years,  when  as  a  profound 
physician  he  must  have  realized  the  finger  of  God,  but 
beyond,  saw  God  himself. 

This  fundamental  sincerity  of  Dr.  Gavin's  nature 
led  to  his  love  of  God,  and  so  of  all  God's  works ; 
his  fellow  man,  nature,  the  beautiful.  This  love  of 
his  Creator  was  ever  present  throughout  his  life, 

ii5 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

though  never  thrusting  itself  forward,  sometimes 
hardly  to  be  detected,  but  always  there,  underlying 
his  nature,  his  life,  his  work.  Clearly  and  logically 
the  conclusion  followed  —  his  love  for  all  God's 
creation,  of  which  examples  and  evidences  have 
been  given ;  his  enjoyment  of  true  friends,  his  efforts 
to  aid  his  patients,  to  which  medicine  and  all  its 
branches  were  merely  an  end,  his  love  of  the  open, 
the  woods,  flowers,  music,  art ;  all  these  things  were 
good,  were  essentially  sincere,  and  Dr.  Gavin  loved 
them. 

In  a  nature  so  sincere,  and  filled  with  apprecia- 
tion of  the  true,  the  beautiful,  and  the  good,  there 
are  necessarily  most  estimable  qualities.  The  first  of 
these  was  devotion.  Dr.  Gavin  was  fundamentally 
religious,  but  his  religion  was  never  narrow.  His 
life  itself  was  a  religion,  the  religion  of  a  man  sin- 
cere in  his  convictions,  energetic,  persevering  in 
the  good  that  he  did,  genuinely  inspiring  in  the 
example  he  furnished  to  others.  On  rare  occasions, 
when  the  need  was  apparent  and  the  spirit  willing, 
Dr.  Gavin,  it  was  said,  could  put  such  real  relig- 
ious fervor  into  a  few  words  at  the  bedside  of  a 
dying  patient,  that  no  such  call  could  go  unheeded. 
His  daily  life  exemplified  his  Church's  teachings 
in  love,  charity,  faith,  and  hope,  and  kindness  to 
all.  His  pastor  for  twenty-five  years,  Reverend 
Robert  J.  Johnson,  sums  up  his  opinion  of  Dr. 

116 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Gavin  by  saying,  "  He  was  an  ideal  parishioner, 
an  ideal  Catholic,  and  an  ideal. man." 

Here  and  there  throughout  these  pages  atten- 
tion has  been  drawn  to  the  different  ways  in  which 
his  natural  kindness  was  manifested.  It  was  shown 
not  only  in  Dr.  Gavin's  private  life  but  in  his  pro- 
fessional work  as  well.  Dr.  E.  S.  Boland  says  of 
him:  — 

He  was  singularly  helpful  to  the  younger  men  and 
they  were  quick  to  appreciate  his  kindliness  and  gladly 
availed  themselves  of  his  counsel.  He  had  himself  been 
through  the  experiences  of  the  general  practitioner, 
from  the  humble  beginnings  to  the  final  establishment 
of  a  large  and  successful  practice,  so  that  he  knew  just 
what  problems  the  younger  men  were  facing ;  and  as  an 
older  brother  might  aid  a  younger  he  was  always  ready 
with  wise  and  sound  advice  to  assist  those  who  were 
just  beginning  their  professional  careers. 

This  quality  is  testified  to  by  many  others  of  the 
older  colleagues  of  Dr.  Gavin  ;  and,  of  course,  most 
gratefully  by  the  younger  men  who  directly  bene- 
fited through  it  in  their  professional  lives.  To  his 
patients  and  their  welfare  Dr.  Gavin  showed  the 
most  intense  loyalty.  The  question  of  recompense 
was  the  last  to  be  thought  of  by  him,  and  the  poor 
man  and  the  rich  man  ranked  alike  in  his  eyes.  If 
anything,  the  poor  man  received  even  more  prompt 
attention,  for  he  might  not  have  had  the  temporary 
relief  that  his  more  fortunate  brother  could  pay 

117 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

for.  Countless  examples  of  deeds  done  by  him  in 
this  direction  might  be  given,  —  of  medicines  fur- 
nished, of  nurses  who  sometimes  mysteriously  ap- 
peared, of  bills  forgotten;  but  such  things  may 
better  be  left  to  the  imagination,  or  to  the  memory 
of  those  who  knew  Dr.  Gavin,  rather  than  spoken 
of  here.  He  would  rather  have  it  so.  "  He  joyfully 
served  the  poor,"  is  the  way  Miss  Katherine  E. 
Conway  fittingly  expresses  her  thought  of  this 
phase  of  his  character ;  and  this  phrase  is  a  sum- 
mary, an  epitome  of  innumerable  kindly  words  and 
deeds  extending  from  first  to  last,  over  the  whole 
half-century  of  Dr.  Gavin's  professional  career. 

His  thoughtfulness  might  well  be  classed  with 
his  kindliness.  "  Thoughtful  of  those  about  him," 
is  a  phrase  that  might  be  used  to  designate  the 
true  gentleman  the  world  over,  and  it  might  well 
be  applied  to  Dr.  Gavin.  He  was  thoughtful  al- 
ways of  the  little  things,  the  finer  points  of  deli- 
cacy, forgotten  or  overlooked  by  most  men.  For  in- 
stance, after  his  return  from  his  European  studies, 
he  arranged  an  interchange  of  correspondence 
and  photographs  between  the  Royal  College  of 
Surgeons  and  the  Surgeon-General  of  the  United 
States  Army,  which,  from  letters  on  both  sides, 
proved  to  be  most  interesting  and  profitable  to  both 
participants.  In  like  manner  he  introduced  a  cor- 
respondence between  his  American  and  European 

118 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

professors,  Dr.  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  and  his 
friends  at  Dublin,  which,  according  to  their  letters, 
was  mutually  most  welcome.  These  thoughts  of 
the  pleasure  of  others,  of  their  welfare,  were  most 
characteristic  of  him. 

Courtesy  was  a  part  of  Dr.  Gavin's  nature,  cour- 
tesy such  as  is  rarely  shown  to-day,  —  a  true,  nat- 
ural, instinctive,  old-world  courtesy.  "  His  'You're 
welcome,  sir,'  will  stay  in  my  heart,  forever,  sweet 
as  the  odor  of  old  rose,"  writes  a  friend  of  his  later 
years.  "  His  '  Good  morning,  and  how  are  you  to- 
day?' was  justly  famous;  the  most  dolorous  and 
discouraged  patient  felt  its  magnetic  sympathy, 
and  was  aroused  to  cheerfulness  under  its  kindly 
influence,"  writes  Miss  Fairbanks,  Matron  of  the 
Convalescent  Home,  and  for  many  years  associated 
with  Dr.  Gavin  at  the  City  Hospital.  In  his  home, 
and  in  his  profession,  his  genial  courtesy  was  an 
inborn  part  of  his  nature. 

It  is  necessary  to  mention  also  Dr.  Gavin's  mod- 
esty, his  utter  intolerance  of  any  self-promotion 
purely  for  personal  ends.  There  was,  however,  no 
false  modesty,  no  deprecating  praise  that  was 
justly  due,  but  no  suggestion  of  any  attempt  to 
seek  mere  fame  or  notoriety.  Together  with  this 
characteristic  of  modesty  may  be  mentioned  the 
purity  and  probity  of  his  life,  an  example  and  an 
inspiration  to  those  about  him. 

119 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

And  then  there  was  the  keen  insight  and  clear 
perception  which  he  displayed  both  in  private  and 
professional  life.  His  absolute  sincerity  with  him- 
self and  all  things,  together  with  his  alertness, 
gave  him  an  unclouded  vision,  undimmed  by  any 
deflecting  influence.  So  from  this  character  of 
pure  sincerity,  there  follows  the  devotion,  the 
kindliness  and  courtesy,  the  modesty  and  purity, 
and  the  clearness  of  vision  that  produced  the  man 
who  won  and  kept  the  affection  of  all  who  knew 
him. 

It  is  needless  to  speak  of  his  friendships,  except 
to  say  that  they  were  such  as  a  man  of  his  nature 
would  naturally  make,  and  make  to  hold.  They 
were  made  with  natures  which  felt  and  acted  as 
his  did,  and  made  with  that  clear  insight  which 
was  not  mistaken,  so  that  they  lasted  until  death. 
Yet  though  his  acquaintances  were  legion,  as  is 
often  true  of  the  rarest  natures,  his  intimates  were 
few. 

The  qualities  of  Dr.  Gavin's  character  so  far 
enumerated  were  those  which  won  for  him  the 
affection  of  all  who  knew  him;  but  balancing 
these  qualities  were  still  others  which  explained 
the  esteem  and  respect  in  which  he  was  held  by 
all. 

One  of  these  was  his  fairness,  —  to  be  expected 
from  a  man  of  his  sincerity,  —  which  gave  him  his 

120 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

true  sense  of  justice  and  the  charitableness  of  his 
judgment.  Dr.  W.  A.  Dunn  says :  — 

He  was  so  humane  and  charitable  that  he  was  always 
willing  to  make  allowances  for  the  faults  or  mistakes  of 
others  when  these  were  accidental,  and  was  always 
ready  to  "give  a  man  the  benefit  of  the  doubt."  Yet 
he  was  also  so  just  a  man  that  the  intentional  wrong- 
doer could  not  hope  for  toleration  at  his  hands.  He 
was  essentially  just  and  possessed  in  a  marked  degree 
the  true  judicial  temperament.  His  judgment  on  men 
and  things  was  never  hasty,  never  prejudiced  and 
tempered  with  the  great  quality  of  common  sense 
and  ability  to  survey  a  subject  from  all  sides  in  turn, 
and  so  to  render  an  intelligent  opinion. 

In  administering  the  affairs  of  the  City  Hospital 
[said  a  colleague]  it  was  inevitable  that  there  should  be 
at  times  important  questions  of  policy  to  be  debated 
and  decided  upon.  Sometimes  there  were  marked  differ- 
ences of  opinion  among  those  responsible  for  the  action 
taken ;  but  Dr.  Gavin  was  one  man  who  was  always  to 
be  depended  upon  and  who  was  always  to  be  found 
instinctively,  as  it  were,  both  speaking  and  acting  in 
favor  of  what  was  just  and  sensible  and  right. 

Another  friend  writes :  "  I  recall  so  well  his  calm, 
searching  eye  and  his  unfailing  judgment  on  any 
topic,  his  sharp  criticism  of  all  that  was  wrong." 

This  quality  of  justice  brought  out  his  intense 
hatred  and  repugnance  to  all  lies,  to  all  things  false 
and  mean,  and  revealed  his  courage,  strength  and 
independence,  in  support  of  all  that  he  thought 
right,  —  qualities  which  he  displayed  in  early 
childhood  and  which  always  remained  a  vital  part 

121 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

of  his  nature.  By  one  casually  meeting  him,  it 
might  not  be  thought  that  his  kindly,  courteous 
exterior  concealed  the  strength  he  possessed,  the 
inflexible  will  and  purpose  concerning  an  aim  or 
an  ideal.  Dr.  D.  F.  Lincoln,  an  acute  observer  of 
human  nature,  however,  struck  the  keynote  of  the 
Doctor's  character  when  he  perceived,  as  he  says, 
fifty  years  ago,  that  in  Dr.  Gavin's  case  "  gentle- 
ness and  sweetness  did  not  mean  weakness." 

This  same  idea  couched  in  different  terms  has 
been  expressed  by  another  colleague : 

Occasionally  men  of  a  somewhat  domineering  nature 
who  chanced  to  be  brought  in  contact  with  Dr.  Gavin 
would  be  misled  by  his  apparent  mildness  and  amia- 
bility, and  would  attempt,  in  the  vernacular,  rather  to 
tread  upon  the  Doctor's  toes.  Yet  it  is  of  great  interest 
to  observe  that  no  man,  even  the  very  ablest  and  most 
enterprising,  was  ever  known  to  try  this  experiment  a 
second  time. 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  observe  that  Dr.  Ga- 
vin's strength  of  character  should  in  no  way  be  con- 
founded with  stubbornness.  It  sprang,  rather,  from 
the  fact  that  the  Doctor  firmly  believed  in  certain 
broad  standards  of  speech  and  conduct,  to  which 
he  conformed  and  to  which  he  expected  others  to 
conform  as  well.  Not  that  these  standards  had 
about  them  anything  which  savored  of  his  own  in- 
dividual ideas.  They  were  simply  the  standards 
recognized,  at  least  in  theory,  throughout  the  length 

122 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

and  breadth  of  the  civilized  world ;  standards  of 
purity  and  decency,  of  honesty  and  energy,  of  char- 
acter and  kindliness  ;  standards  in  which  most  pro- 
fess to  believe,  but  which  many,  either  through  weak- 
ness or  carelessness  or  downright  wickedness,  fail 
utterly  to  attain.  The  following  quotation  from  one 
of  Dr.  Gavin's  letters  to  an  intimate  friend  outside 
of  Boston,  is  an  example  of  his  strength  of  char- 
acter. 

I  told  you  in  my  last  letter  of  the  meeting  to  take 
place  at  City  Hall  to-day  regarding  a  change  in  the 
laws  concerning  certain  matters  of  the  City  Hospital. 
I  was  present  and  the  newspapers  have  report  of  the 
proceedings.  ...  I  was  sorry  to  be  opposed  to  all  the 
doctors  there,  but  I  felt  my  convictions  were  strong 
and  acted  according  to  my  best  judgment.  .  .  .  When 
principle  is  at  stake,  I  believe  in  doing  one's  duty  even 
if  the  odds  are  against  you.  There  is  satisfaction  in 
doing  what  we  feel  and  think  to  be  right,  even  if  social 
ties  are  snapped. 

His  loyalty  and  perseverance  have  been  pre- 
viously touched  upon,  but  these  qualities  were  so 
strong-,  so  forceful  a  part  of  him  that  they  de- 
serve to  be  mentioned  independently. 

His  self-poise  was  truly  characteristic  of  him ; 
always  equable,  apparently  never  hurried,  sparing 
of  speech,  quiet,  dignified,  gentle,  the  word  "  gen- 
tleman" leaps  instinctively  to  the  lips  of  those 
who  knew  him.  With  him,  the  outward  courtliness 
was  the  true  manifestation  of  the  spirit  within.  One 

123 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

might  well  say  that  if  he  had  tried  he  could 
scarcely  have  been  anything  else. 

Such  were  the  major  qualities  forming  Dr.  Ga- 
vin's individual  personality  ;  a  personality  unified, 
balanced,  and  consistent,  as  rare  as  it  was  true 
and  real.  It  won  for  him  success  and  honor  as  the 
world  views  them. 

Different  people  have  their  own  views  of  success, 
however.  Some  set  fame  as  a  goal,  others  wealth, 
others,  of  a  higher  mind,  the  good  which  a  man 
may  do.  By  all  of  these  standards,  Dr.  Gavin  was 
successful.  But  is  there  not  another  test  of  true 
success  ?  What  matters  it  to  a  man,  though  wealth 
or  fame  or  respect  be  his,  if  he  himself  remains  un- 
satisfied, realizing  that  the  true  criterion  is  not  the 
judgment  of  the  world,  but  whether  or  not  he  him- 
self has  made  the  most  of  the  ability  which  has 
been  given  him  ?  Might  it  not  be  said  that  no  man 
should  be  called  entirely  successful,  who,  being 
honest,  straightforward,  and  sincere  with  himself 
and  with  those  about  him,  cannot  truthfully  say 
that  he  is  satisfied  and  contented?  It  might  be 
argued  that  events  over  which  a  man  has  no  con- 
trol bring  happiness  or  unhappiness;  but  is  not 
he  the  true  philosopher  of  life,  whose  judgment 
enables  him  to  avoid  the  mistakes  of  the  majority 
of  men,  and  whose  philosophy  makes  him  content 
with  the  outcome  of  his  choice  when  he  has  made 

124 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

a  decision,  and  whose  aims  and  ambitions  are  per- 
fectly attuned  to  his  own  capabilities  and  limita- 
tions ?  Has  not  such  a  man,  successful  in  just  what 
he  has  striven  to  do,  striving  for  no  more,  happy  in 
his  own  life,  in  what  his  own  best  judgment  tells 
him  he  is  fitted  for,  with  the  philosophy  to  regret 
no  other  choice,  with  will  and  insight  to  have 
made  few  unhappy  mistakes,  delighting  in  what  is 
around  him,  the  beauty  of  the  world,  the  comfort 
of  true  friends,  the  joy  of  work,  —  has  not  such  a 
man  truly  attained  success  so  far  as  this  life  can 
give  it? 

Surely  such  a  life  was  Dr.  Gavin's.  He  was  be- 
yond question  fitted  for  the  work  he  did,  for  the 
time  in  which  he  lived.  He  fully  realized  this,  and 
was  happy  in  his  work,  was  content  with  his  life, 
his  friends,  his  home.  He  strove  for  no  new  worlds 
to  conquer,  he  lived  his  life  as  it  was  given  him,  to 
the  full.  Undoubtedly  he  had  his  full  share  of  dis- 
appointments and  discouragements ;  he  fully  real- 
ized the  frailty  of  human  nature,  but,  with  an  op- 
timism that  overpowered  all  vexations,  he  was 
happy  in  the  good  that  there  is  in  life.  His  aims 
and  ideals  were  the  highest  and  he  lived  up  to 
them;  he  never  wavered,  never  compromised,  never 
shirked.  With  the  fundamental  sincerity  of  his  na- 
ture, he  was  just  what  he  appeared  to  be ;  he  en- 
joyed all  about  him  that  was  worth  enjoying ;  he 

125 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

made  the  most  of  all  that  was  given  him,  and  was 
satisfied. 

Dr.  Gavin  passed  peacefully  to  his  eternal  re- 
ward on  May  20, 19 15.  Three  score  and  ten  years, 
the  allotted  period,  had  passed.  For  him  the  whole 
wonderful  adventure,  with  its  joys  and  its  griefs, 
its  successes  and  its  disappointments,  its  work  and 
its  play,  was  ended. 

In  his  case  there  was  no  untimely  fate  at  life's 
fair  beginning,  no  tragedy  of  youth  cut  short,  or  of 
a  life  snatched  away  in  manhood's  prime.  He  had 
lived  a  full  life  with  honor.  He  had  "  fought  the 
good  fight"  and  "  had  kept  the  faith,"  and  for  him 
were  realized  the  words  of  the  poet,  — 

Death  is  a  path  that  must  be  trod, 
If  ever  we  would  pass  to  God. 

Why  then  much  grief  when  a  life  has  been  lived 
which  leaves  so  little  to  regret,  so  much  to  remem- 
ber of  goodness  and  kindness  accomplished  ?  Dr. 
Gavin  faced  his  sickness  and  his  death  as  he  faced 
all  life's  troubles,  manfully,  readily,  and  unafraid. 
Surely  the  end  of  such  a  life  has  little  of  sorrow, 
but  is  filled  to  overflowing  with  joy  and  triumph  ; 
and  some  such  thoughts  as  these  must  have  been 
in  the  minds  of  those  who  filled  the  Church  of  the 
Gate  of  Heaven  on  May  24,  19 15,  to  bid  their  last 

126 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

farewell  to  all  that  was  mortal  of  Michael  Freebern 
Gavin. 

There  were  physicians  there  to  do  him  honor, 
renowned  for  their  professional  standing  and  for 
their  lives  spent  in  doing  good.  A  body  of  men 
they  were,  than  whom  few  more  eminent  in  their 
calling  could  be  assembled.  They  were  there  to  pay 
the  last  tribute  in  their  power  to  their  colleague, 
whom  they  had  known  and  honored  for  so  many 
years. 

There  were  the  younger  men  in  the  profession, 
men  who  were  then  pressing  forward  to  take  the 
places  of  their  elders.  They  too  were  there  to  give 
testimony  to  their  regard  for  the  man  who  had 
guided  many  of  them  in  the  first  beginnings  of 
their  work,  and  who  had  been  always  patient  and 
considerate  and  helpful  and  kind.  As  sons  who 
reverence  a  father,  these  young  men  came  to 
honor  him  who  had  been  their  teacher  and  beloved 
guide. 

There  were  friends  there  also ;  men  who  had 
known  Dr.  Gavin  for  years;  who  knew  his  ideals, 
his  likes,  his  work,  who  knew  the  places  that  he 
loved,  and  the  people  and  the  things  he  cared  for; 
who  knew  some  of  the  good  that  he  had  done, 
quietly  and  unobtrusively. 

Yet  representative  as  all  these  men  were,  they 
formed  but  a  small  portion  of  those  who  filled  the 

127 


MICHAEL   FREEBERN   GAVIN 

church.  There  were  men  and  women  and  children 
of  all  walks  of  life,  from  the  highest  to  the  lowest ; 
people  of  diverse  races  and  of  different  creeds; 
people  who  remembered  that  kind  physician  who 
had  obeyed  the  mandate  of  the  Master,  and  who 
had  performed  his  daily  tasks  earnestly  and  rever- 
ently and  yet  joyfully,  and  who  had  truly  "gone 
about  doing  good."  A  glance  hither  and  thither 
throughout  that  throng,  seeing  here  and  there  a 
trembling  hand  brushing  away  a  tear  from  age- 
dimmed  eyes,  or  the  moisture  on  even  a  strong 
man's  cheek,  surely  revealed  something  of  what 
Dr.  Gavin's  life  had  been. 

While  there  have  been  men  whose  lives  have 
been  far  more  adventurous,  who  have  had  careers 
more  spectacular  and  more  dramatic,  who  have 
been  swayed  for  evil  and  for  good  by  more  worldly 
passions,  yet  it  would  be  no  easy  task  to  name  any 
who  have  led  lives  of  greater  beauty  and  more  in 
keeping  with  God's  commandments,  who  have 
won  in  so  great  measure  the  love  and  respect  of 
their  fellow  men. 

Dr.  Gavin's  life  is  ended.  At  Holyhood  he  sleeps 
"  his  last  long  quiet  sleep."  Yet  the  influence  of 
such  a  life  will  long  endure,  and  the  memory  of  the 
good  he  did  in  his  quiet,  dignified,  sincere  way 
will  stand  as  an  indestructible  monument  to  his 
memory.  No  one  who  knew  Dr.  Gavin  can  help 

128 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

striving  to  lead  a  life  more  like  his,  —  a  life  so  kindly, 
so  earnest,  so  charitable,  and  furnishing  such  a 
true  and  splendid  example  to  those  left  upon  life's 
battlefield  —  that  field  where  fought  so  staunchly 
for  the  right,  Michael  Freebern  Gavin,  wise  phy- 
sician, Christian  gentleman,  and  faithful  friend. 


EXTRACTS   FROM   LETTERS 

I  was  fortunate  enough  to  have  the  opportunity 
to  read  a  number  of  letters  this  last  summer,  which 
my  father  had  written,  and  from  them,  I  have  taken 
the  quotations  that  follow.  He  was  a  man  of  few 
words,  especially  on  thoughts  or  principles  of  his 
own,  and  I  cannot  recall  his  ever  expressing  his 
views,  in  conversation,  on  his  profession  or  on  any 
general  principles  or  conclusions  of  life.  So  it  is 
with  the  greatest  pleasure  that  I  have  found,  and 
can  publish,  these  free  expressions  of  his  ideas  on 
so  many  subjects,  and  in  his  own  distinctive,  clear 
style. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  these  extracts  were 
merely  written  in,  almost  between  the  lines,  so  to 
speak,  in  letters  dealing  with  other  general  matters, 
to  my  mother,  to  myself,  or  to  intimate  friends,  and 
with  no  thought  on  my  father's  part  of  "  giving  ad- 
vice," or  of  expressing  his  ideas,  other  than  to  those 
who  were  in  harmony  with  them.  To  find  even  as 
many  of  these  thoughts  of  his  as  are  given  here, 
required  a  reading  of  all  his  letters  that  could  be 
found ;  and  the  choice  was  made  with  a  view  to 
show  his  ideas  and  thoughts  on  all  the  subjects  on 
which  he  had  given  expression  to  them. 

I  would  ask  the  reader  to  bear  this  in  mind  in 
131 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

reading  the  second  and  third  of  the  quotations,  for 
in  letter  after  letter  I  find  phrases  like,  "  I  must 
have  been  interrupted  a  half  a  dozen  times  since 
starting  this  letter"  ;  or  "There,  I  must  stop  now, 
for  I  have  to  go  out  to  see  a  very  sick  patient." 

It  has  not  proved  an  easy  task  to  group  these 
various  excerpts  under  different  headings,  and  I 
have  made  only  a  semblance  of  so  doing — but  still 
I  think  the  order  will  make  but  little  difference  in 
the  pleasure  of  reading  them. 

I  would  say  again  that  I  consider  it  most  fortu- 
nate and  a  great  privilege  to  have  found  these 
quotations  and  to  have  been  able  to  publish  them. 

Basil  Gavin. 

South  Boston,  Mass. 
October  31,  1915. 


[Facsimile  Letter] 


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MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 


On  Writing  Letters 

I  suppose  writing  is  next  to  talking. 

It  is  seldom  that  I  find  opportunity  to  write  a  letter 
of  any  length  without  being  interrupted  by  callers, 
and  this  must  account  for  the  disjointed  appearance 
of  my  letters  to  you. 

I  always  write  hurriedly,  and  seldom  re-read  my 
letters  or  anything  else  I  write. 

Long,  long  ago,  I  found  out  how  hard  it  is  to  write 
an  interesting  letter,  a  letter  of  any  kind  except  one  of 
dry  facts  regarding  business,  unless  we  are  in  the 
mood,  in  sympathy  with  what  we  are  engaged  in  doing. 
And,  after  all,  we  ask,  what  is  this  thing  called  mood, 
sympathy,  or  any  other  name  you  may  please,  but 
really  liking  the  work  for  the  work's  sake?  There  are 
times  when  one  can  chat  to  the  very  paper  one  is  writ- 
ing upon,  knowing  that  it  will  be  carried  safely  to  the 
party  it  is  intended  for. 

Please  write  as  you  think  and  feel. 

We  generally  write  about  that  which  is  uppermost 
in  our  minds  —  in  fact  we  talk  almost  the  same  way 
too,  —  so  I  shall  begin  by  telling  you,  .  .  . 

Nature 

Just  now  we  are  having  delightful  weather.  Oh, 
such  weather  makes  us  enjoy  everything  in  Nature. 
In  no  country  that  I  know  of  is  there  such  charming 
weather  as  we  have  between  the  seasons  of  autumn 
and  winter. 

133 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Everything  is  green  and  suggests  spring  and  youth. 

There  is  something  very  nice  in  a  bouquet  of  hand- 
some flowers  —  more  particularly  in  midwinter,  when 
all  else  in  nature  is  so  dreary. 

Of  course  March  is  not  a  very  pleasant  month,  but 
it  brings  us  nearer,  even  in  name,  to  spring. 

I  love  the  autumn  season,  as  we  see  it  in  New  Eng- 
land, — ■  a  love  tinged  with  a  sadness  that  such  changes 
should  accompany  decay. 

The  weather  has  been  very  cold  for  three  days,  and 
you  know  how  much  I  enjoy  cold,  and  consequently 
how  happy  I  must  be  under  existing  circumstances. 
'T  is  no  use  in  finding  fault  though,  —  we  will  enjoy 
the  fine  weather  when  we  get  it. 

I  told  him  of  my  project  of  trying  to  induce  the 
birds  (not  tame  ones)  to  make  their  home  in  this  par- 
ticular garden,  with  a  promise  of  protection  on  my 
part,  and  on  theirs  a  promise  to  sing. 

To  bed  at  1 1  —  up  at  2,  and  home  at  6.  I  must  con- 
fess I  enjoyed  the  morning,  though  I  did  not  enjoy 
going  out.  The  rapidity  with  which  light  followed 
dawn  was  really  surprising,  while  the  view  in  the  East 
was  really  charming,  —  so  suggestive  of  mystery. 

We  had  a  terrible  northeast  snowstorm  to-day.  I 
had  to  walk  a  long  way  this  evening  to  see  a  patient, 
and  while  doing  so,  I  was  so  strongly  reminded  of  all 
beauties  in  this  world  by  the  mere  absence  of  them. 

The  redeeming  feature  of  long  winters  is,  that  the 
nights  are  long,  affording  excellent  opportunity  for 
reading. 

134 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Of  late  we  have  had  beautiful  clear  blue  skies,  with 
handsome  clouds  for  a  foreground  — ■  things  I  enjoy 
so  much,  and  never  to  be  looked  at  without  our 
thoughts  wandering  far  beyond  the  limits  of  this 
earth.  Of  all  sciences  astronomy  affords  the  greatest 
field  for  the  imagination,  in  fact  it  is  boundless.  One 
thought  suggests  another  till  the  whole  becomes  at 
last  so  intricate,  that  we  must  try  and  forget  all  about 
them. 

We  have  so  little  spring  in  New  England,  that  one 
has  to  take  the  opportunity  when  it  offers  and  not 
wait,  otherwise  we  fail  to  see  the  fruit-blossoms.  Na- 
ture itself  seems  to  live  a  short  and  "fast  life"  giving 
a  fbad  example  to  'too-willing  human  nature.  This 
might  serve  as  a  philosophical  explanation  of  our 
American  tendency  to  live  life  at  high  pressure  and 
die  soon. 

The  woods  I  enjoy  best  —  where  I  can  tramp  free 
and  use  my  gun. 

One  loves  to  get  away  at  times  from  the  work  of 
man,  and  revel  in  the  work  of  nature,  so  wonderful 
and  full  of  beauty  that  we  become  lost  for  the  time 
being.  When  I  drive  in  the  country  I  am  always  struck 
with  amazement  at  the  greatness  of  God,  the  har- 
mony in  all  things  that  surround  us,  the  provision 
made  for  preserving  plants,  as  well  as  animals.  In 
fact,  we  know  so  little  of  the  wonderful  secrets  of  na- 
ture, that  we  are  the  veriest  children. - 

Habits  —  Tastes 

Yesterday  was  a  very  busy  day  with  me,  from  5  A.Mf 
until  9  p.m.  —  was  just  as  busy  as  a  bee. 

135 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

For  years  back,  I  have  had  more  than  my  share  of 
the  good  things  of  the  world;  plenty  to  do,  more 
money  than  I  wanted,  and  all  the  patients  I  wished  to 
care  for.     (1874.) 

I  have  been  busy  all  week,  so  much  so  that,  even 
with  my  love  of  music,  I  did  not  go  to  hear  the  opera 
at  the  Boston  Theatre. 

What  can  be  more  charming  than  that  little  Garden 
Song  in  Faust,  or  the  many  beautiful  songs  in  the 
operas  of  Don  Giovanni  or  Trovatore? 

I  think  of  going  to  the  Club  dinner  to-morrow 
night,  as  the  election  of  officers  takes  place.  There  are 
so  many  nice  gentlemen  to  meet,  and,  as  a  rule,  the 
conversation  is  sparkling  and  rich  with  information, 
so  that  it  does  one  good  occasionally,  and  brightens 
one's  ideas  and  gives  one  food  for  thought. 

There  is  a  great  pleasure  in  sitting  down  in  a  com- 
fortable room  amongst  books,  when  we  have  done  the 
work  for  the  day  satisfactorily.  As  an  old  smoker,  I 
would  add  a  cigar  also,  and  some  person  to  talk  or  read 
at,  to  the  picture. 

My  fire  in  the  grate  takes  the  place  of  a  companion. 

I  have  not  read  much  outside  my  profession  this 
summer,  but  I  hope  to  do  so  soon.  What  real  pleasure 
there  is  in  a  good  book !  be  it  a  novel  of  the  good  class, 
or  something  more  substantial.  The  long  winter 
nights,  cosy,  well-heated  and  lighted  rooms,  a  good 
book  and  cigar,  go  far  towards  making  us  like  the  world 
as  it  is. 

136 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

I  generally  spend  my  evenings  reading,  go  to  bed 
early  and  get  up  early;  in  this  respect,  following 
natural  laws. 

We  reached  Providence  a  few  minutes  before  6 
o'clock,  when  it  was  as  bright  and  clear  as  noon-day. 
I  could  not  avoid  thinking  just  then  how  much  of  the 
day  we  let  pass,  without  using  it.  I  use  the  plural 
number  to  represent  myself  —  a  great  habit,  by  the 
way,  of  those  who  write  for  newspapers,  not  intending 
to  include  others. 

Quiet  colors  look  well,  don't  attract  attention,  and 
remain  in  fashion  longer. 

"99"  is  convenient,  comfortable,  modest,  and  large 
enough  for  a  home. 

I  regret  so  much  the  want  of  time  to  prepare  for  our 
trip  —  I  should  be  so  much  pleased  to  derive  all  that 
such  a  trip  can  afford  to  a  person  of  education. 

A  poorish  dinner  with  good  company,  is  almost  all 
we  want. 

I  must  say  that  I  have  no  great  love  for  parties 
where  nothing  but  mere  conventional  rules  are  ob- 
served. 

There  is  great  pleasure  in  giving  presents  to  young 
children.  So  much  so,  that  it  far  offsets  the  cost  of  the 
presents.  I  know  of  no  greater  pleasure  than  watching 
the  delight  of  young  children  when  they  get  a  pleasant 
toy. 

137 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

To  have  adults  take  part  in  such  games,  adds  to  the 
enjoyment  of  the  children.  Indeed,  I  am  child-like 
enough  to  enjoy  such  fun  about  as  much  as  the  little 
ones. 

I  always  had  a  great  dread  of  being  in  debt,  as  it 
makes  me  feel  that  I  ought  to  have  no  rest  until  I  see 
the  end  of  it. 

What  a  bad  investment  that  was,  but  no  use  now  to 
regret  it. 

Of  course  there  is  quarreling  about  tastes.  Some 
base  their  taste  upon  well-recognized  laws  of  the 
blending  of  colors,  harmony,  etc.  Others  please  the 
eye  (their  own  eye),  and  so  on;  but  there  are  so  many 
things  that  ought  to  be  considered:  size  of  the  room, 
light,  height  of  ceiling,  color  of  the  floor,  shape  of  the 
room,  etc.  I  believe  my  taste  differs  from  many,  and 
to  tell  the  truth,  I  am  not  sorry.  I  do  not  like  to  copy 
Tom,  Dick,  and  Harry,  in  anything. 

Good  taste  is  a  variable  article,  and  that  which 
would  be  considered  good  taste  in  a  grand  and  elegant 
mansion,  would  be  totally  unfit  and  the  worst  of  taste 
in  a  small  modest  house. 

How  much  I  long  to  see  Venice,  that  most  wonder- 
ful of  cities,  with  its  curious  history,  its  wonderful 
people  and  their  greatness,  the  buildings  and  fine  arts; 
lastly,  to  see  that  sky  and  water  of  which  we  all  have 
heard  so  much. 

About  the  dog  question :  I  will  sell  him,  first,  because 
he  kept  rooting  up  the  garden,  second,  not  pure  breed, 
and  you  know  that  I  don't  like  imitations  or  mongrels 
of  any  sort. 

138 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

I  like  aphorisms  because  they  express  so  much  in  so 
few  words. 

My  friend,  Mr.  O'Reilly,  called  to  see  me  the  other 
night.  I  always  enjoy  his  visits,  —  so  full  of  interest- 
ing talk  and  so  bright  and  genial. 

I  have  been  acting  scribe  for  my  friend,  Mr.  O'Reilly, 
now  away  on  vacation.  He  is  editor  of  the  Boston 
Pilot. 

Reading 

Reading  is  to  me  the  greatest  of  pleasures,  even 
when  I  do  not  derive  benefit  from  it. 

Seldom  have  I  read  a  book,  without  getting  a  hint 
from  it  for  some  other  book. 

I  have  been  reading  Hawthorne's  Twice  Told  Tales; 
a  very  pretty  name  expressing  about  the  truth.  ...  I 
like  Hawthorne's  writing,  and  it  was  some  years  since 
I  had  read  any  of  his  writings,  not  since  I  was  in  the 
Army  (if  I  except  the  Scarlet  Letter),  but  I  like  him 
even  more  now.  There  is  something  weird,  super- 
natural, in  most  of  his  writings,  and  the  style  is  simple 
and  pure.  I  have  heard  the  man  was  just  like  his  writ- 
ing, strange,  not  like  other  men,  a  riddle  to  his  neigh- 
bors. 

I  have  read  Charles  Lamb's  writings,  but  the  Essays 
of  Elia  are  the  best  written  by  him;  indeed,  I  doubt  if 
there  is  anything  to  surpass  them  in  English. 

I  have  just  commenced  to  read  Eugene  Aram  by 
Lytton,  and  like  all  of  his  books  I  enjoy  it. 

139 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

I  am  getting  along  very  well  with  the  Conquest  of 
Mexico  —  the  style  is  charming,  and  to  me  it  has 
opened  up  a  mine  of  information  regarding  the  Spanish 
in  America. 

I  have  been  reading  Adam  Bede  by  George  Eliot. 
Such  a  thoughtful  woman  and  one  who  writes  so  wisely 
that  we  wonder  where  she  got  all  her  wisdom.  It  re- 
quires considerable  time  to  read  her  stories  with  profit. 

Some  of  Bret  Harte's  prose  stories  are  so  pleasing 
that  I  often  read  them  over  to  find  myself  dropping  a 
tear  over  the  page. 

As  I  write  I  am  struck  with  the  beautiful  sentiment 
expressed  so  well  by  Shakespeare  from  the  calendar  for 
to-day:  "God  shall  be  my  help  —  my  stay  —  my 
guide  and  lantern  to  my  feet."  What  could  be  more 
tersely  and  beautifully  expressed. 

[Stevenson.]  He  writes  well  and  has  a  style  unlike 
any  other  writer  that  I  am  acquainted  with,  and  I 
rather  enjoyed  some  of  his  stories. 

In  such  an  excellent  book  as  Middlemarch  there  is  a 
great  deal  of  sound  information,  good  common  sense, 
and  a  spirit  of  making  us  look  on  the  bright  side  of 
things. 

I  like  Thackeray,  Scott,  Lever,  and  some  others,  but 
this  is  about  all  [novels].  I  like  Lord  Lytton  very 
much,  never  grow  tired  of  reading  his  stories. 

Of  the  poets  I  must  say  I  like  Scott  the  best,  and  I 
suppose  it  is  because  there  is  so  much  ring  and  rhyme 
to  his  poems. 

140 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Read  "W's"  poem  in  the  paper  I  sent  you  to-day. 
It  is  a  beautiful  little  thing,  and  the  man  who  wrote  it 
is  a  true-born  poet. 

When  I  get  through  writing,  I  will  take  up  some 
book.  When  I  become  interested  in  a  book  I  am  satis- 
fied. 

I  have  been  reading  and  smoking;  agreeable  occupa- 
tions to  me. 

The  men  or  women  who  write  really  good  books 
will,  at  all  times,  deserve  the  thanks  of  the  many. 

Medicine 

Ever  since  I  began  to  practise  medicine,  I  have  held 
a  position  in  some  hospital,  and  now  I  find  it  almost  a 
necessity.  It  is  so  pleasant  to  go  in  and  chat  with  the 
sick,  make  them  laugh  when  we  can,  say  a  kind  word, 
and  when  it  is  necessary  to  give  bad  news,  do  so  in  the 
easiest  way  possible. 

A  blinding  snowstorm  without.  If  we  do  sacrifice 
personal  feelings  at  times,  we  are  rewarded  by  kindly 
feelings  on  the  part  of  those  we  visit.  This  was  par- 
ticularly the  case  to-night  with  me,  and  I  feel  so  happy 
now  that  I  have  done  my  duty. 

To  be  busy  is  to  be  happy  after  all,  and  I  like  nothing 
better  than  having  a  great  deal  to  do.  I  do  not  like 
outside  business,  that  is,  business  not  belonging  to  my 
profession. 

Indeed,  with  me,  I  suppose,  work  will  become,  if  it 
has  not  already  done  so,  part  of  my  existence. 

141 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

Was  out  late  last  night,  from  twelve  to  half-past 
three  a.m.  Of  course  the  going  out  was  not  very  plea- 
sant, but  once  over,  I  enjoyed  my  work  all  the  more. 

To  look  forward  to  one  who  will  always  encourage 
my  efforts  in  trying  to  be  a  little  above  the  common- 
place in  my  profession,  to  make  my  work  not  a  mere 
work  of  gain,  but  a  means  of  doing  good,  a  something 
worthy  of  all  our  best  efforts. 

If  there  are  unpleasant  things  in  a  physician's  life,  — 
and  what  life  is  free  from  such,  —  there  are  countless 
balancing  things. 

I  am  just  called  off  to  South  Boston  Point.  There  is 
no  doubt  about  such  calls  being  disagreeable  when  one 
gets  in  a  very  comfortable  office,  with  books  to  read, 
and  cigars  to  smoke.  Why,  a  saint  would  be  provoked 
at  such  an  uncalled-for  visit;  but  I  suppose  it  is  no  use 
to  find  fault ;  —  do  our  duty  and  we  shall  be  better 
pleased. 

The  medical  profession  has  one  great  feature  that 
its  twin  fellow,  the  law,  has  not;  viz:  a  doctor's  educa- 
tion is  not  for  any  one  race  or  clime,  but  is  universal. 
People  have  the  same  sort  of  sickness  in  Italy  that  we 
have  here,  or  in  England,  with  only  some  trivial  com- 
plaints that  have  some  local  peculiarity. 

Yesterday  I  was  kept  so  busy  all  day  that  I  only 
got  through  an  operation  (cutting  a  leg  off)  in  time  to 
dine  at  7  and  to  find,  when  I  reached  home,  calls  enough 
to  keep  me  engaged  till  after  1 1 .  Again  to-day  I  was 
out  at  4  this  morning,  but  managed  to  hear  6  o'clock 
Mass,  and  dined  with  Father  O'Callaghan  at  one. 

142 


MICHAEL   FREEBERN   GAVIN 

Common  sense  is  the  greatest  attribute  for  a  phy- 
sician to  be  possessed  of  —  or,  in  fact,  for  a  man  in 
any  line  of  work,  whatever  it  may  be. 

There  are  times  when  I  grow  so  tired  and  weary  of 
seeing,  and  hearing  the  stories,  of  sick  people,  that  I 
could  wish  to  be  in  some  place  where  sickness  was  an 
undiscovered  thing.  I  suppose,  though,  I  would  not 
stop  very  long  in  such  a  land,  allowing  that  such  ex- 
isted. Everything  about  my  life  is  so  bound  up  in  my 
profession,  that  to  live  outside  it  would  scarcely  be 
possible. 

There  is  great  pleasure  in  doing  work  because  the 
work  in  itself  is  good  or  because  we  can  relieve  suffer- 
ing and  pain,  or  because  we  gain  the  good-will  and  es- 
teem of  the  people,  —  the  more  so  when  such  work  is 
done  at  great  personal  sacrifice  or  because  of  the  love 
or  ambition  of  doing  an  act  which  implies  a  more  than 
ordinary  knowledge.  But  to  be  obliged  to  do  such 
work  for  the  mere  gain  and  because  such  gain  was 
necessary,  is  anything  but  agreeable. 

Religion 

In  hearing  the  Gospel  of  to-day  I  was  greatly  im- 
pressed with  the  man-like  action  of  Christ  when  he 
came  to  Gethsemane :  —  he  told  those  with  him  to 
remain  with  him  —  that  he  felt  sad.  Knowing  what 
was  coming,  the  separation  from  his  followers  made 
him  sad.  How  human  —  just  like  what  any  one  might 
wish. 

I  was  once  a  witness  of  an  outbreak  of  that  terrible 
disease  (cholera)  when  I  saw  people  in  the  full  vigor 
of  life  stricken  with  death  in  a  few  hours,  and  buried 

143 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

without  an  hour's  delay.  There  was  proof  of  the  insig- 
nificance of  man,  and  the  greatness  of  the  incompre- 
hensible God. 

To  carry  out  the  rules  of  the  Church  is  not  hard ;  but 
I  do  believe  in  doing  more,  that  is  by  trying  to  carry 
out  the  spirit  of  the  rule,  as  well  as  the  exact  rule. 

Yesterday  evening  was  quiet,  and  I  spent  a  couple 
of  hours  in  reading  Parables  in  the  Bible.  I  felt,  as  I 
read  them,  that  men  are  now  as  they  were  thousands 
of  years  ago  when  this  part  of  the  Bible  was  written, 
and  require  very  much  the  same  sort  of  government  to 
make  them  do  right.  Indeed,  one  is  apt  to  think  that 
in  those  days  when  men  were  under  a  simpler  form  of 
government  than  now,  they  would  not  require  a  sys- 
tem of  laws  like  ours;  but  after  all,  it  is  surprising  how 
much  the  human  race  resemble  one  another  no  matter 
what  the  clime  may  be,  or  where  they  live. 

I  sometimes  ask  myself  —  will  those  who  suffer  in 
this  world,  and  that  suffering  not  from  their  own  act, 
be  treated  in  the  hereafter  as  we  who  suffer  not  at  all? 
or  will  that  all-seeing  God  bring  into  play  some  law 
of  compensation? 

As  I  look  at  the  world,  each  of  us  has  a  particular 
role  to  play  in  helping  the  poor,  comforting  the  widow 
or  orphan,  relieving  the  sufferings  of  the  sick  or  desti- 
tute. This  means  always  offers  of  doing  good  and  de- 
serving a  reward  from  God. 

It  is  too  bad  that  X should  worry  or  fret  over 

the  will  of  God.  Of  course,  it  is  very  easy  to  see  that 
such  trouble  so  early  in  life  is  a  great  deal  —  but  it 
might  be  worse,  a  great  deal  worse,  and  God  has  seen 

144 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN   GAVIN 

fit  to  send  it.  At  best,  life  is  but  the  smallest  atom  of 
time,  and  the  difference  between  two  lives  cannot  be 
much.  'T  is  a  way  we  all  must  go,  sooner  or  later,  and 
that  being  the  case  we  ought  to  try  and  look  at  death 
calmly. 

If  the  worst  comes,  you  must  simply  bear  it  as  the 
divine  will  of  a  good  Providence,  who  does  all  things 
for  the  best,  even  when  we  think  the  decree  hard,  un- 
bearable. 

The  religious  life  (be  it  followed  by  man  or  woman) 
is  so  far  above  any  other  life  in  this  world,  that  to  my 
mind  no  comparison  can  be  made  between  it  and  any 
other.  To  completely  fill  such  a  life,  we  must  have  en- 
thusiasm and  the  noblest  of  ambitions,  to  work  for 
God  in  every  way,  at  every  hour  of  life.  I  suppose  you 
would  call  it  vocation.  To  become  a  religious  or  a 
priest,  etc.,  from  any  other  motive,  robs  such  a  life  of 
all  its  happiness.  Perhaps  my  views  are  too  radical, 
but  if  such  a  standard  was  adhered  to,  I  think  it  would 
be  —  for  the  best. 

Advice 

Take  the  world  easily;  don't  rush  at  everything,  and 
more  enjoyment  and  contentment  will  be  your  lot. 

The  quotation  "  Sufficient  for  the  day  is  the  evil 
thereof"  ought  to  be  written  in  letters  of  gold  and 
always  be  before  us.  If  we  always  practised  that  rule, 
what  an  amount  of  unnecessary  fret  and  anxiety 
many  in  the  world  would  be  saved ! 

Do  not  expect  too  much  from  a  child  of  his  age. 
First  try  and  get  him  to  understand  what  is  right  and 
wrong.    Don't  bribe  him  to  do  things  by  giving  him 

145 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

what  he  may  want.  You  must  try  arid  make  him  wish 
to  come  and  see  you,  by  telling  him  stories  or  whatever 
innocent  things  you  know  he  likes.  This  is  different 
from  having  him  obey  you;  don't  even  bribe  him  to 
carry  out  your  order;  this  he  must  do.  You  have  got 
to  learn  how  to  govern  and  bring  up  a  child.  Try, 
above  all  things,  to  have  the  child  do  what  you  want 
him  to  do,  not  from  fear,  but  because  you  tell  him  to 
doit. 

It  is  much  the  best  way,  if  things  or  people  do  not 
suit  us,  to  avoid  them  as  much  as  possible. 

Don't  talk  too  much  —  think  before  you  speak,  and 
allow  for  a  difference  of  opinions  in  all  matters.  You 
will  find  this  the  best  way  to  get  along  and  in  many 
cases,  have  your  own  way  in  the  end  —  So  much  for 
advice. 

The  less  said  on  the  subject,  the  better.  'T  is  well 
not  to  talk  over  disagreeable  things,  unless  good  can 
come  from  it. 

Observe  things  and  persons  as  you  pass  along,  and 
you  will  soon  find  your  store  of  information  increase 
in  size. 

—  and  let  me  add,  enjoy  your  visit  with  "abandon," 
as  the  French  say,  and  don't  be  thinking  of  the  morrow, 
for,  figuratively  speaking,  God  only  knows  where  we 
will  be  on  the  morrow. 

One  learns,  by  not  speaking  at  all  times,  to  hear 
other  people's  ideas. 

146 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

I  would  not  anticipate  trouble,  but  be  happy  when 
you  can.  Take  things  as  they  come,  and  don't  make 
yourself  unhappy  without  good  reason.  Don't  look 
too  much  to  the  future. 

No  matter  what  any  one  else  does,  that  is  no  excuse 
for  your  not  doing  what  is  right. 

Give  the  world  credit  for  having  good  as  well  as  bad, 
sincere  as  well  as  false;  and,  with  Holy  Writ,  "sufficient 
for  the  day,  is  the  evil  thereof." 


Miscellaneous 

A  short  letter  again  —  want  of  time  must  be  my 
excuse. 

Habit  has  more  to  do  with  our  everyday  life  than  we 
are  willing  to  acknowledge. 

I  never  think  of  being  sick,  catching  a  disease,  or 
being  afraid  of  disease;  but  to  others,  nearest  and  dear- 
est, the  idea  of  their  being  sick  is  something  not  to  be 
thought  of. 

The  hardest  trials  of  this  world  come  when  we  have 
to  part  with  father  or  mother. 

Poor  human  nature  is  always  looking  for  changes. 

Trouble  comes  to  all  of  us  early  enough,  and  often 
enough  without  anticipating  or  making  it. 

My  pen  is  new  and  stiff;  like  a  recent  acquaintance. 
147 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

A  woman,  with  her  finer  insight,  when  she  thinks, 
reads  human  nature  more  correctly  than  a  man. 

How  different  the  world  looks  when  we  are  not  feel- 
ing well ;  the  allotted  three-score  and  ten  is  quite  all  one 
wants. 

When  we  are  forewarned  of  things  disagreeable,  the 
mind  accommodates  itself  and  does  not  feel  the  shock 
so  much  as  when  unexpected. 

I  think  that  I  would  make  a  very  bad  patient,  so  I 
often  thank  God  that  he  has  blessed  me  with  so  little 
bodily  suffering. 

Then  it  will  lose  its  novelty,  and  go  unheeded,  like 
all  things  in  this  world. 

You  must  tell  your  father  that  I  wish  him  many 
happy  returns,  and  the  continual  blessings  of  a  benefi- 
cent God. 

I  hope  you  will  have  a  pleasant  trip  over.  It  is  so 
pleasant  for  those  who  have  friends  to  meet  them,  to 
look  forward  to  the  time  they  will  reach  land,  and  even 
those  who  have  not  friends,  make  friends  of  the  strange 
land  and  customs. 

A  good  old  coat  has  many  attractions  for  me,  like  an 
old  friend,  to  be  held  on  to,  until  there  is  nothing  left. 
I  don't  know  that  the  comparison  is  a  good  one,  but 
if  an  old  coat  could  talk,  what  tales  might  be  told, 
what  secrets  unfolded,  gala-days  recalled,  etc.! 

It  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  a  present  bore  a 
resemblance  to  the  giver;  but  it  is  not  the  present  so 

148 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

much  as  the  spirit  that  goes  with  it.  To  the  giver,  there 
is  as  much  enjoyment  as  to  those  who  get  presents. 

No  thoughtful  person  can  look  at  the  present  con- 
dition of  public  morals  in  this  country  without  a  feel- 
ing of  anxiety  for  the  future.  Where  money  can  buy 
men's  votes,  you  must  expect  cheating,  and  the  man 
with  the  biggest  purse  to  win. 

There  are  few  habits  that  cannot  be  overcome  by 
patience. 

I  consider  it  a  great  source  of  care  and  anxiety  of 
mind  to  have  much  wealth  to  look  after. 

My  great  bete-noir  has  been  a  feeling  that  at  some 
time  in  my  life,  I  might,  through  sickness,  become 
disabled  to  practise  my  profession,  and  be  thrown 
upon  my  family  for  support. 

There  are  two  well-marked  classes  of  people  in  the 
world :  those  who  never  can  see  anything  but  sunshine 
and  pleasure,  and  those  who  in  the  brightest  day  are 
looking  for  clouds  and  storm.  No  doubt  the  world  is 
to  each  of  us,  as  we  make  it,  pleasant  or  dreary. 

When  one  is  sick,  the  world  becomes  almost  unbear- 
able, and  it  is  then  easy  to  see  the  wisdom  of  Provi- 
dence in  so  ordaining  it,  that  we  should  live  so  long 
and  no  longer. 

The  more  one  observes  and  puts  down  what  his 
observations  are,  the  better  they  become. 

I  think  it  is  hardly  possible  for  a  person  of  culture 
to  see  things  done,  without  making  some  inquiry,  so 

149 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

that  it  is  not  till  they  are  called  upon  to  fill  a  position, 
that  they  find  out  how  much  information  they  can 
justly  lay  claim  to. 

One  thing  I  try  to  avoid  is,  to  confound  novelty 
with  good  taste  as  so  many  persons  do. 

I  was  not  at  all  curious  to  know  what  had  been  said 
about  me,  believing  there  are  many  things  that  do  us 
no  good  by  hearing. 

I  tried  to-day  to  select  some  little  present  for  you  — 
but  after  spending  over  an  hour  in  a  fruitless  effort, 
I  gave  it  up.  J.  thought  I  was  very  particular,  and 
perhaps  I  am,  for  all  I  know  —  but  I  must  feel  that  an 
article  is  just  the  thing  before  I  can  buy  it. 

We  can  get  over  anything  but  sickness  and  death. 

But  what  a  difference  in  the  conversation  of  different 
men.  Some  talk  with  a  feeling  that  it  is  their  duty  to 
say  something,  altho'  it  may  mean  nothing,  others  are 
only  willing  to  talk  when  conversant  with  the  subject- 
matter.  I  am  bound  to  confess  that  the  latter  are  the 
sort  of  persons  I  like  best,  for  to  hear  a  man  talk  upon 
a  subject  he  knows  nothing  of  —  I  won't  say  it. 

It  seems  natural  for  us  to  look  for  death  when  our 
relatives  have  reached  or  nearly  reached  the  allotted 
age;  but  when  death  comes  long  before  the  prime  of 
life  is  reached,  it  is  hard  to  bear  up  against  it,  when  the 
victim  is  some  person  we  have  dearly  loved. 

I  am  glad  that  you  are  enjoying  your  trip.  Change 
does  good  to  most  people  and  to  none  more  than  those 

150 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

who,  while  at  home,  see  little  company.  It  must  be 
so  pleasant  to  meet  one's  own  relations.  After  a  sepa- 
ration —  to  talk  on  the  past  and  present  and  even  look 
into  the  future,  meet  acquaintances,  and  see  familiar 
things.  I  have  experienced  all  these  feelings  and  much 
more.  How  quickly  time  is  wiped  away  and  forgotten 
under  such  circumstances. 

I  am  very  much  inclined  to  look  on  the  morrow, 
but  I  always  try  and  find  out  the  brightest  side  of  the 
morrow. 

By  the  way,  I  have  no  hesitation  in  saying  that  most 
of  us  think  of  time  too  much  and  not  enough  of  enjoy- 
ments. It  seems  tome  that  we  ought  to  work  with  all 
our  powers  while  engaged  in  work,  and  after  it  is  done 
forget  all  about  it,  and  time  too.  I  don't  know  though 
that  I  practice  all  I  preach,  neither  do  I  do  all  I  tell  my 
patients  to  do. 

How  short  the  entire  Christian  era  appears  when 
we  look  at  it  as  representing  18  lives.  You  know  many 
persons  live  to  reach  the  age  of  ioo  years.  Taking  18 
such  persons,  number  one  would  have  lived  in  the  time 
of  our  Lord,  and  when  Imperial  Rome  ruled  the  world. 

I  have  long  since  learned  that  those  who  leave  home 
to  visit  are  so  engaged  with  their  friends,  that  writing 
home  is  something  of  an  afterthought.  How  pleased 
you  must  be  to  visit  home  again ! !  I  can  well  imagine 
your  feelings,  judged  by  my  own,  in  the  times  gone  by. 
The  very  thought  of  being  home  again,  the  nearing 
home  when  I  could  hardly  contain  myself,  and  the  sight 
of  my  own  family  and  the  things  of  the  past,  things  of 
memory,  which  time  can  never  efface. 

151 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

You  know  there  are  very  few  things  in  this  life,  a 
knowledge  of  which  does  not  imply  the  loss  of  time  or 
money. 

What  a  strange  compound  this  human  nature  is, 
always  ready  to  shirk  our  duty] 

Your  letter  and  book  reached  me  to-day  —  I  thank 
you  for  both  —  the  latter  shows  how  thoughtful  you 
are.  Indeed,  it  is  not  as  a  rule  the  cost  of  a  present 
that  makes  us  think  the  less  or  more  of  it,  but  the  mere 
fact  of  one's  friends  recollecting  such  things,  is,  in 
itself,  a  present  worth  getting. 

Sooner  or  later  every  one  of  us  must  meet  with  rain, 
clouds,  and  thunder-storms,  for  on  our  planet  all  these 
things  occur  to  all;  but  because  we  anticipate  such,  is 
no  reason  for  carrying  a  long  face,  a  gingham  umbrella, 
water-proof,  and  overshoes  all  the  time. 

Nothing  makes  up  for  the  loss  of  health. 

The  last  month  —  the  last  week  —  the  last  day  of 
the  year  —  after  to-day,  1882  will  be  of  the  past  — 
a  something  that  was  — 1  like  all  things  in  the  world. 
How  strange  to  think  of  such  things  —  never,  never 
again  to  see  this  year! 

When  I  think  of  those  I  am  called  to  see,  the  suffer- 
ing from  pain  and  death,  I  sometimes  wonder  at  my- 
self for  being  so  cheerful  and  thinking  so  much  about 
this  world. 

With  all  my  efforts  to  train  myself  in  that  stern 
school  of  philosophy  which  allows  us  to  look  at  misfor- 
tune, defeat,  disaster,  and  disappointment  as  things 

152 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

beyond  our  own  control,  and  not  to  be  regretted,  I 
am  as  unable  to  bear  up  against  sad  news  as  a  child 
of  10  years. 

I  suppose  it  is  all  for  the  best,  so  I  don't  mean  to 
think  of  it  again. 

I  have  often  thought  that  one  of  the  secrets  of  secur- 
ing happiness  in  this  world  is  that  of  trying  to  find  out 
what  others  would  like  to  do ;  such  acts  being  a  two- 
fold pleasure,  that  in  the  act  itself,  and  that  of  the 
person  for  whom  we  do  it.  Don't  you  think  I  am  a 
philosopher  on  a  small  scale? 

Yes,  it  is  very  hard  that  people  should  suffer  so,  but 
God  has  so  ordained  it. 

I  have  educated  myself  in  the  way  of  not  thinking 
of  bad  news  while  any  doubt  exists. 

It  does  seem  to  me  that  the  key  to  happiness  in  this 
world  is  to  engage  in  some  good  work,  earnestly,  follow 
it  up,  and  do  what  Americans  call  "our  level  best," 
when  rest  of  mind  at  the  good  we  have  done  is  sure  to 
follow. 

I  think  there  are  very  few  persons  in  this  world  who 
fully  recognize  the  great  boon  of  good  health,  until 
they  have  an  attack  of  illness.  It  is  like  one's  liberty, 
—  we  know  nothing  of  it  until  we  are  deprived  of  it. 

I  am  quite  willing  to  agree  with  what  you  say  of 
being  good  and  doing  good  to  our  fellow-man  or 
woman,  but  I  do  not  believe  that  this  bright  world, 
with  its  countless  objects  of  beauty,  was  made  other 
than  for  the  enjoyment  of  those  sent  to  inhabit  it. 

153 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

It  does  seem  to  me,  as  if  all  of  us  ought  to  do  our 
duty  pleasantly  and  willingly;  for  without  responsi- 
bilities, cares,  and  duty,  our  lives  would  not  be  worth 
the  effort  to  prolong  our  existence  twenty-four  hours. 

Some  of  the  wise  men  of  old  have  said  that  time 
passes  by  quickly  with  those  who  are  happy. 

Indeed,  there  are  more  ways  in  this  world  of  making 
happiness  than  most  people  dream  of. 

Everybody  must  expect  crosses,  but  we  ought  to 
thank  God  for  his  kindness  and  goodness  to  us. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  happiness  in  knowing  and 
feeling  that  we  have  done  a  good  work,  without  at  all 
taking  into  account  the  fact  of  giving  so  much  pleasure 
to  those  who  are  sadly  in  need  of  such  kindness. 

I  have  not  much  to  say,  in  answer  to  your  long  letter 
of  yesterday.  In  many  things  I  agree  with  you.  In 
some  few  I  differ.  Of  course,  I  am  conscious  of  the 
fact  that  certain  acts  are,  to  my  way  of  looking  at 
things,  not  honorable,  nay,  anything  but  honorable. 
But  what  is  the  use  of  saying  anything  about  it  and 
letting  people  know  that  you  feel  so,  when  there  is  no 
remedy.  I  don't  know  that  any  person  knows  my  feel- 
ings about  certain  things.  I  have  supreme  contempt 
for  meanness  in  any  shape.  To  my  idea  of  right  and 
just,  I  have  always  adhered  when  to  do  differently 
would  mean  additional  coppers,  etc.  I  am  glad  't  is  so. 
I  would  not  have  it  otherwise  if  I  could.  I  feel  now, 
and  I  thank  God  for  it,  that  as  long  as  my  health  con- 
tinues good,  I  can  always  make  more  than  enough  to 
support  my  household. 

154 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

By  and  by,  when  I  have  reached  the  millennium, 
the  dolce  far  niente,  I  shall  be  glad.  —  Who  knows? 

There  is  so  much  pleasure  in  putting  one's  self  out  a 
little  bit  for  the  personal  sake,  and  also  in  doing  so  be- 
cause it  is  good  in  itself. 

As  I  write,  we  are  having  one  of  the  fiercest  snow- 
storms of  the  winter.  The  fire-alarm  bells  are  ringing, 
the  sky  is  red;  the  streets  are  crowded  with  men  and 
women  running  towards  a  great  fire  in  South  Boston. 
How  little  the  world  and  all  it  contains  becomes  in  the 
time  of  adversity  or  calamity.  The  insignificance  of 
man  and  all  his  work  becomes  as  no  thing  at  such  times. 

I  could  not  help  thinking  this  evening  of  the  terrible 
night  when  all  Boston  was  out  and  it  seemed  as  if  the 
entire  city  was  to  be  burned.  Never  before  was  I  so 
fully  impressed  with  the  frailty  of  man.  His  insig- 
nificance and  that  of  his  work  were  so  apparent,  that 
I  really  trembled. 

I  have  often  thought  of  the  great  blessing  God  gives 
so  many  in  good  health,  and  how  few  there  are  who 
appreciate  it,  even  stop  to  think  that  good  health  in 
itself  is  the  greatest  of  all  happiness. 

Responsibility  brings  pleasure  as  well  as  duty  to 
fulfill;  and  were  it  not  for  such  things,  all  of  us  would 
at  some  time  or  other  suffer  from  that  worst  of  enemies 
to  happiness,  ennui. 

What  is  more  miserable  in  this  life  than  not  to  have 
work  to  do? 

155 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

All  of  us,  both  men  and  women,  have  a  duty  to  do; 
and  he  or  she  who  does  his  duty  willingly  and  with 
pleasure,  taking  it  as  the  gift  of  God,  enjoys  the  great- 
est amount  of  happiness  in  this  world. 

To  know  that  one's  friends  think  well  of  one,  is  a 
great  deal. 

Everything  in  the  world  has  a  grain  of  good  in  it. 

If  the  death  of  those  we  love  dearly  causes  us  pain, 
it  likewise  has  its  counterpart  in  reconciling  our  mind 
when  death  approaches  by  making  us  anxious  to  meet 
those  gone  before  us  to  the  unknown  world  beyond 
the  grave. 

I  suppose  there  are  few  of  us  who  are  not  more  or 
less  ideal  in  our  notions  of  life,  and  I  do  not  see  any 
fault  in  this,  for  it  is  well  known  that  the  ideal  is  the 
brightest  picture  we  can  make,  while  to  try  to  attain 
that,  in  practice,  must  be  good  and  bring  happiness. 

Yes,  we  have  only  to  look  around  and  see  the  posi- 
tions of  others,  to  make  us  enjoy  those  blessings  which 
God  has  given  us. 

Every  person  has  experienced  the  pleasure  it  gives 
to  do  an  act  of  kindness;  in  itself,  full  repayment  for 
the  work  done. 

I  cannot  see  how  people  can  live  and  be  happy  with- 
out constant  occupation  of  mind  and  body. 

I  have  always  looked  on  the  excuse  —  want  of  time 
—  as  rather  a  lame  one,  believing  that  all  of  us  can 
find  time  to  do  what  duty  calls  us  to  do. 

156 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

To  stop  at  the  half-way-house  without  making  an 
effort  to  go  beyond  it,  to  be  satisfied  with  the  common 
everyday  average  of  success,  is  the  lot  of  most  men 
unless  they  have  a  good  and  brave  wife,  who  encour- 
ages them  to  keep  up  the  good  fight. 

Work,  as  long  as  it  is  good  and  to  our  liking,  does 
more  to  make  one  happy  than  anything  else  in  the 
world. 

I  have  always  had  more  or  less  of  the  ideal  in  my 
views  of  life,  and  I  always  mean  to  try  and  reach  that 
point,  although  it  is  possible  I  shall  often  fall  short 
of  it. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  what  is  good  and  kind  in 
human  nature  and  it  takes  only  a  little  to  call  it  forth. 
I  would  much  rather  be  imposed  upon  by  giving  the 
good  side  to  human  nature,  than  always  to  look  doubt- 
ful, and  call  in  question  the  motives  of  others.  If  there  is 
doubt  at  all,  throw  it  on  the  charitable  side;  for  after- 
wards, if  things  are  contrary  to  what  we  wish,  we  have 
the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  our  motives  were  good. 

The  world  would  be  very  bad,  if  we  only  did  for  our- 
selves. Selfishness  is  a  pretty  bad  feeling  for  any  one 
to  be  possessed  with ;  nay,  it  is  one  of  the  worst  faults 
we  could  possess. 

I  have  always  tried  my  best  to  be  what  other  people 
took  me  for,  feeling  that  a  nature  like  mine  required 
straightforwardness  and  friendship.  With  such  a  pur- 
pose constantly  before  me,  I  feel  so  much  better  in 
doing  all  within  my  power  to  show  myself  worthy  of 
the  esteem  of  my  friends;  for  to  be  all  that  our  friends 
take  us  for  is  a  great  deal. 

157 


MICHAEL  FREEBERN  GAVIN 

The  infinite  number  of  ways  in  which  we  may  do 
good  is  to  me  another  evidence  of  the  goodness  of  God. 

What  an  untold  pleasure  it  must  be  to  those  people 
who  have  done  so  much  for  the  poor,  when  their  end 
is  near,  to  look  back  at  the  good  they  have  done! 


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